Elephants use medicinal plants to treat themselves, researchers find
Researchers have found that African elephants in Kenya's Mount Elgon region use over 35 different plant species for medicinal purposes. The study suggests that elephants possess an innate knowledge of self-medication, which may be threatened by habitat loss.
Why it matters
Advances our understanding of animal intelligence and underscores the importance of biodiversity for both animal and human health.
Image source, Mount Elgon Foundation Image caption, Accounts from local experts revealed that wild elephants used more than 35 plants, many of which have known medicinal uses
African elephants use dozens of different medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families when they are sick.
This is the conclusion of a study which interviewed people who live and work alongside the elephants in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya.
These particular animals have long intrigued scientists with their extraordinary behaviour - they are known as salt-mining elephants, because they go into caves and scrape the rock with their tusks to extract minerals for their diet.
This newly published research suggests that the same elephants use several different plant species in the forest for medicinal purposes.
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