Elephants in Kenya use medicinal plants to heal themselves
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Researchers in Kenya have discovered that African elephants utilize dozens of plant species to treat illnesses in themselves and their family members.
The findings come from interviews with people who live and work near elephants in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya. These elephants are already known for seeking out minerals by scraping rocks with their tusks, but this study reveals they also purposefully select plants for their medicinal properties.
Scientists collaborated with the Mount Elgon Foundation and spoke with local guides, community elders, and wildlife rangers. These interviews revealed accounts of elephants choosing specific plants when sick and mothers providing medicinal plants to their calves. The research team identified 35 plant species used by the elephants, with 25 of those locally known for their medicinal benefits.
One witness described seeing elephants use a plant called “Angrovet” as “medicine to give to the young,” noting that mothers would chew the leaves and mix them with milk for their calves to consume.
While further evidence is needed to definitively prove the practice, Professor Michael Huffman, a primatologist at Nagasaki University in Japan, called the account “highly interesting.” Scientists are now collecting additional data by equipping local experts with cameras and analyzing the plants the elephants use, hoping to identify new medicinal compounds.
