My invention that made peace with lions
-
0:01 - 0:04This is where I live. I live in Kenya,
-
0:04 - 0:07at the south parts of the Nairobi National Park.
-
0:07 - 0:09Those are my dad's cows at the back,
-
0:09 - 0:11and behind the cows,
-
0:11 - 0:13that's the Nairobi National Park.
-
0:13 - 0:17Nairobi National Park is not fenced in the south widely,
-
0:17 - 0:20which means wild animals like zebras
-
0:20 - 0:24migrate out of the park freely.
-
0:24 - 0:28So predators like lions follow them,
-
0:28 - 0:31and this is what they do.
-
0:31 - 0:34They kill our livestock.
-
0:34 - 0:36This is one of the cows which was killed at night,
-
0:36 - 0:40and I just woke up in the morning and I found it dead,
-
0:40 - 0:43and I felt so bad,
-
0:43 - 0:47because it was the only bull we had.
-
0:47 - 0:50My community, the Maasai, we believe that
-
0:50 - 0:56we came from heaven with all our animals and all the land
-
0:56 - 1:00for herding them, and that's why we value them so much.
-
1:00 - 1:04So I grew up hating lions so much.
-
1:04 - 1:07The morans are the warriors
-
1:07 - 1:10who protect our community and the livestock,
-
1:10 - 1:13and they're also upset about this problem.
-
1:13 - 1:16So they kill the lions.
-
1:16 - 1:20It's one of the six lions which were killed in Nairobi.
-
1:20 - 1:24And I think this is why the Nairobi National Park lions are few.
-
1:24 - 1:29So a boy, from six to nine years old, in my community
-
1:29 - 1:32is responsible for his dad's cows,
-
1:32 - 1:35and that's the same thing which happened to me.
-
1:35 - 1:39So I had to find a way of solving this problem.
-
1:39 - 1:44And the first idea I got was to use fire,
-
1:44 - 1:47because I thought lions were scared of fire.
-
1:47 - 1:52But I came to realize that that didn't really help,
-
1:52 - 1:55because it was even helping the lions
-
1:55 - 1:58to see through the cowshed.
-
1:58 - 2:02So I didn't give up. I continued.
-
2:02 - 2:04And a second idea I got was
-
2:04 - 2:06to use a scarecrow.
-
2:06 - 2:08I was trying to trick the lions
-
2:08 - 2:11[into thinking] that I was standing near the cowshed.
-
2:11 - 2:15But lions are very clever. (Laughter)
-
2:15 - 2:19They will come the first day and they see the scarecrow, and they go back,
-
2:19 - 2:23but the second day, they'll come and they say,
-
2:23 - 2:26this thing is not moving here, it's always here. (Laughter)
-
2:26 - 2:29So he jumps in and kills the animals.
-
2:29 - 2:33So one night, I was walking around the cowshed with a torch,
-
2:33 - 2:37and that day, the lions didn't come.
-
2:37 - 2:41And I discovered that lions are afraid of a moving light.
-
2:41 - 2:44So I had an idea.
-
2:44 - 2:46Since I was a small boy,
-
2:46 - 2:49I used to work in my room for the whole day,
-
2:49 - 2:53and I even took apart my mom's new radio,
-
2:53 - 2:54and that day she almost killed me,
-
2:54 - 3:01but I learned a lot about electronics. (Laughter)
-
3:01 - 3:04So I got an old car battery,
-
3:04 - 3:08an indicator box. It's a small device found in a motorcycle,
-
3:08 - 3:13and it helps motorists when they want to turn right or left. It blinks.
-
3:13 - 3:17And I got a switch where I can switch on the lights, on and off.
-
3:17 - 3:22And that's a small torch from a broken flashlight.
-
3:22 - 3:25So I set up everything.
-
3:25 - 3:28As you can see, the solar panel charges the battery,
-
3:28 - 3:30and the battery supplies the power
-
3:30 - 3:34to the small indicator box. I call it a transformer.
-
3:34 - 3:38And the indicator box makes the lights flash.
-
3:38 - 3:42As you can see, the bulbs face outside,
-
3:42 - 3:44because that's where the lions come from.
-
3:44 - 3:49And that's how it looks to lions when they come at night.
-
3:49 - 3:51The lights flash and trick
-
3:51 - 3:53the lions into thinking I was walking around the cowshed,
-
3:53 - 3:55but I was sleeping in my bed.
-
3:55 - 3:58(Laughter)
-
3:58 - 4:00(Applause)
-
4:00 - 4:05Thanks.
-
4:05 - 4:09So I set it up in my home two years ago,
-
4:09 - 4:13and since then, we have never experienced any problem with lions.
-
4:13 - 4:17And my neighboring homes heard about this idea.
-
4:17 - 4:19One of them was this grandmother.
-
4:19 - 4:24She had a lot of her animals being killed by lions,
-
4:24 - 4:26and she asked me if I could put the lights for her.
-
4:26 - 4:27And I said, "Yes."
-
4:27 - 4:32So I put the lights. You can see at the back, those are the lion lights.
-
4:32 - 4:35Since now, I've set up seven homes around my community,
-
4:35 - 4:37and they're really working.
-
4:37 - 4:42And my idea is also being used now all over Kenya
-
4:42 - 4:47for scaring other predators like hyenas, leopards,
-
4:47 - 4:50and it's also being used
-
4:50 - 4:54to scare elephants away from people's farms.
-
4:54 - 4:57Because of this invention, I was lucky to get a scholarship
-
4:57 - 4:59in one of the best schools in Kenya,
-
4:59 - 5:01Brookhouse International School,
-
5:01 - 5:04and I'm really excited about this.
-
5:04 - 5:08My new school now is coming in and helping
-
5:08 - 5:13by fundraising and creating an awareness.
-
5:13 - 5:18I even took my friends back to my community,
-
5:18 - 5:21and we're installing the lights to the homes
-
5:21 - 5:26which don't have [any], and I'm teaching them how to put them.
-
5:26 - 5:30So one year ago, I was just a boy in the savanna grassland
-
5:30 - 5:31herding my father's cows,
-
5:31 - 5:34and I used to see planes flying over,
-
5:34 - 5:39and I told myself that one day, I'll be there inside.
-
5:39 - 5:42And here I am today.
-
5:42 - 5:48I got a chance to come by plane for my first time for TED.
-
5:48 - 5:53So my big dream is to become an aircraft engineer and pilot when I grow up.
-
5:53 - 5:57I used to hate lions, but now because my invention
-
5:57 - 6:00is saving my father's cows and the lions,
-
6:00 - 6:04we are able to stay with the lions without any conflict.
-
6:04 - 6:07Ashê olên. It means in my language, thank you very much.
-
6:07 - 6:18(Applause)
-
6:21 - 6:24Chris Anderson: You have no idea how exciting it is
-
6:24 - 6:26to hear a story like yours.
-
6:26 - 6:28So you got this scholarship.Richard Turere: Yep.
-
6:28 - 6:30CA: You're working on other electrical inventions.
-
6:30 - 6:32What's the next one on your list?
-
6:32 - 6:35RT: My next invention is,
-
6:35 - 6:38I want to make an electric fence.CA: Electric fence?
-
6:38 - 6:40RT: But I know electric fences are already invented,
-
6:40 - 6:42but I want to make mine.
-
6:42 - 6:44(Laughter)
-
6:44 - 6:47CA: You already tried it once, right, and you --RT: I tried it before,
-
6:47 - 6:54but I stopped because it gave me a shock. (Laughter)
-
6:54 - 6:57CA: In the trenches. Richard Turere, you are something else.
-
6:57 - 7:00We're going to cheer you on every step of the way, my friend.
-
7:00 - 7:04Thank you so much.RT: Thank you. (Applause)
- Title:
- My invention that made peace with lions
- Speaker:
- Richard Turere
- Description:
-
In the Masai community where 13-year-old Richard Turere lives, cattle are all-important. But lion attacks were growing more frequent. In this short, inspiring talk, the young inventor shares the solar-powered solution he designed to safely scare the lions away.
- Video Language:
- English
- Team:
- closed TED
- Project:
- TEDTalks
- Duration:
- 07:20
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha approved English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions | ||
Thu-Huong Ha edited English subtitles for My invention that made peace with lions |