African elephants use specific plants for medicinal purposes

An international scientific study has documented evidence suggesting that African elephants utilize various plant and mineral species to prevent and treat health conditions. Published in the journal Scientific Reports, the research focused on elephant populations in the Mount Elgon region, located on the border of Kenya and Uganda.

To gather data, researchers from institutions including Brown University, the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, and the National Museums of Kenya interviewed eight experts from the indigenous Sabaot community. These specialists, possessing over twenty years of experience observing wild elephants, provided insights into the animals' behaviors.

The study identified 39 natural resources that elephants consume selectively. Notably, 87% of these resources are also used in the traditional medicine of local human communities. Researchers observed instances where sick animals traveled up to 20 kilometers specifically to reach a particular medicinal resource, bypassing other vegetation along the way. While specific medicinal benefits and preparation methods are still being studied, the findings highlight significant overlaps between animal zoopharmacognosy and human ethnopharmacology.