African elephants, just like humans, sometimes need a pick-me-up to remedy some illness that's bugging them. Fortunately, they seem to know exactly what kind of medicine they need to get the job done; evidence suggests they seek out various plants that can help heal them.
A new study published in Scientific Reports has found that African elephants in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya use a wide array of medicinal plants that benefit their health in different ways, from aiding digestion to combating lethargy. People who live near the elephants have provided a rare glimpse into these behaviors, describing how the elephants consume specific plants when showing signs of sickness. Many of these plants are used by local people as well.
“Our results show how closely the plant life of Mount Elgon is linked to the health of both elephants and people,” said study lead author Fabien Schultz, a zoopharmacognosist at the Bernhard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine, in a press release.
How African Elephants Heal Themselves
Many animals have been known to self-medicate, including chimpanzees, dolphins, and even ants. They do so by using medicinal plants or other natural materials like charcoal, clay, and insects, a behavior known as zoopharmacognosy.
Animals will generally consume these materials or apply them to their body to treat a multitude of ailments, such as endoparasite infestations, respiratory and fungal infections, wounds, and gastrointestinal distress.
Explore All OptionsWhile several instances of self-medicating in Asian elephants have been observed in the past — like one case in which they were seen consuming clay soil to potentially expel intestinal parasites — this kind of behavior hasn’t been as extensively reported in African elephants.
To address this gap in knowledge, researchers traveled to Mount Elgon, an extinct shield volcano on the Kenyan-Ugandan border. The high floral biodiversity of the area, along with its extensive cave system containing mineral- and clay-rich deposits, made it ideal for learning how African elephants restore their health with natural resources.
Read More: The First Asian Elephant Calf Is Born After a 25-Year Wait at the Smithsonian National Zoo
The Power of Medicinal Plants
The researchers turned to local people to gain insight into elephants' self-medication behaviors; these people had all lived near the elephants or worked with them — wildlife scouts, a former ranger, community elders, and a retired agricultural officer who grew up on Mount Elgon are just a few of the sources interviewed.
From interviews with eight local experts, the researchers learned of 39 natural resources that the elephants may intentionally use to self-medicate, comprising 35 plant species from 23 families and four types of soil, mineral, or clay. In 34 cases (87 percent), these resources were also used by local people for medicinal purposes.
The researchers were particularly interested in specific resources that aren’t especially nutritious or palatable; locals said that in some cases, elephants would consume these resources at unusual times or in distinctive ways, and often in small amounts.
Eight plant species were identified in this category, including Aloe arborescens (a relative of Aloe vera), Bersama abyssinica, and Ficus natalensis. According to the locals, elephants would occasionally travel long distances just to get to a particular tree, solely to consume its leaves or bark for self-medication.
The plants used by the elephants are thought to serve different purposes; three species from the genus Dombeya, for example, may aid in digestion and soften elephants’ droppings. Locals have also seen parts of the tree K. usambarensis being used by elephants showing sickness behaviors like lethargy and lack of movement.
A Mother's Care
Another striking aspect of this behavior is that female elephants were often described as having directed care toward offspring, which is known as “maternal allocare.” In one case, mothers were observed feeding Aloe arborescens to calves, likely to increase their appetite. Bersama abyssinica is one of three plants that mothers mix with their milk to feed to calves, which is believed to function as immunization for their offspring, though more study is needed.
In addition to plant material, elephants also engage in “salt-mining,” which involves them consuming clay and mineral-rich rock in Mount Elgon’s caves. This is believed to potentially help them obtain minerals (like salt and iron) and protect their digestive systems, although the researchers say that this isn’t yet confirmed as a clear example of medicinal use.
The researchers now hope to follow up on the interviews by obtaining video evidence of self-medication behaviors, concluding that this information could be vital for conservation.
“In the coming years, together with our partners, we want to investigate whether and how these behaviors are learned or socially transmitted, and which plants and locations may be particularly important to protect,” said Schultz.
Read More: Elephants Have 1,000 Delicate Whiskers on Their Trunks, and They May Transform Robotics
Article Sources
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- This article references information from Scientific Reports: African elephants putatively self-medicate with medicinal plants in the Mount Elgon region, Kenya
