African Elephants Find Natural Relief Using Medicinal Plants

African elephants travel long distances without stopping to forage, solely to consume specific barks or leaves when they are unwell. A recent paper published in Scientific Reports reveals that these elephants in Kenya use targeted plants for self-care, a behavior scientifically called zoopharmacognosy. Local experts with decades of experience shared that elephant mothers also pass this plant-based medicine down to their offspring across generations. Local experts in Kenya's Mount Elgon region identified 39 natural resources used by these animals, which include 35 plant species alongside four types of soil, mineral, or clay. In 87 percent of these cases, local human populations use the exact same substances as traditional medicine. Among the specific plant species consumed by the elephants are Aloe arborescens, Bersama abyssinica, Coleus barbatus, and several types of Dombeya. Wild animals have long shown intuitive pharmacological knowledge. Orangutans use plants to balm wounds, chimpanzees eat bitter antibacterial leaves, Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins rub against selected corals, and birds protect their nests with insecticidal plants. Animals treat themselves for issues like endoparasite infestations, fungal and respiratory infections, wounds, and stomach problems using barks, leaves, resin, charcoal, clay, and insects. Addressing the broader context, R. Sukumar, the National Science Chair at the Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, stated that formal study on zoopharmacognosy in Asian elephants is lacking in India. However, he once personally observed a pregnant wild female Asian elephant feeding on the bark of Terminalia crenulata, a rare event confirmed by a mahout to happen when female elephants are about to give birth. Prof. Sukumar emphasized that modern drug development using this traditional knowledge must respect indigenous intellectual property rights and contribute to wildlife conservation.

Context

Zoopharmacognosy describes how various wild animal species instinctively find and use natural substances like plants and clay to cure diseases and heal injuries. This shared use of medicinal plants between wildlife and human traditional medicine points to a deep, instinctual survival strategy found across the animal kingdom. Understanding these natural behaviors helps researchers learn more about animal intelligence and how indigenous communities historically discovered healing remedies.