Elephants forage for and mix their own medicinal plants

Summarised from 3 outlets · Updated 24 Sept, 17:14 · Archive

Elephants prepare and administer medicinal plant mixtures to themselves and their offspring.

Research by scientists at Hamburg's Bernard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine reveals that African elephants forage for and mix medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families. Mother elephants around Mount Elgon in western Kenya chew specific roots and leaves, then mix the resulting preparation with breast milk to feed their calves. The study documents what appears to be the first known instance of a non-human species creating and administering medicine to others.

How it is being reported

• Elephants use medicinal plants to treat themselves, researchers findBBC News · 24 Sept, 12:42
• Elephants found to forage and mix their own medicinesGB News · 24 Sept, 10:54
• Elephants forage for and mix their own medicinesThe Telegraph · 24 Sept, 06:00

In this story: African elephants · Mount Elgon · Kenya · Bernard Nocht Institute for Tropical Medicine · Hamburg

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