Wild African elephants are proving to be remarkably skilled doctors. According to new research, they intentionally use dozens of wild plants to treat their own illnesses, and mother elephants go a step further by preparing herbal mixtures to protect and heal their young. International researchers, alongside the Mount Elgon Foundation, carried out the study after gathering firsthand accounts from local indigenous experts, elders, and wildlife scouts in the Mount Elgon region of western Kenya. Their findings reveal a sophisticated understanding of natural medicine among elephants.
Local observers identified 35 different plant species, as well as four types of nutrient-rich clays and soils, that elephants actively seek out when feeling unwell.
Also read | Indian Woman Shares Touching Act Of Kindness After Bicycle Accident In Japan, Internet Reacts
What makes their case exceptional?
While self-medication in animals, which is called zoopharmacognosy, has been documented before in apes and birds, what set these African elephants apart was how mothers treated their offspring.
According to the researchers, wildlife scouts described seeing mother elephants strip leaves, bark, and roots from specific trees, such as a plant locally known as Angurweet.
Also read | Video: Hyderabad Cop Takes Daughter On Duty During Final Day Of Ganesh Visarjan
They then chew the plant material until it forms a soft paste, mix it inside their mouths with their own milk, and feed the concoction directly to their calves.
While these mixtures help soothe stomach issues and reflux in young calves, researchers noted mothers often give them to healthy babies as a preventative health boost, similar to a natural immunisation shot.
"Our results show how closely the plant life of Mount Elgon is linked to the health of both elephants and people," says Schultz, head of the JRG Ethnopharmacology and Zoopharmacognosy at BNITM and lead author of the study.
"Reports that elephants use some of the same plants that local communities use in traditional medicine make protecting these habitats a One Health issue. In the coming years, together with our partners, we want to investigate whether and how these behaviours are learned or socially transmitted, and which plants and locations may be particularly important to protect."
