African elephants in Kenya's Mount Elgon region reportedly use dozens of different medicinal plants to treat themselves and their families when sick, according to a newly published study. The research, which interviewed local people including wildlife scouts and community elders, suggests these elephants use 35 different plant species, with 25 of them known locally for medicinal uses.
Accounts from interviewees described elephants selecting particular plants when unwell. Some testimonies also detailed mothers reportedly giving medicinal plant material to their calves, including a plant known as Angurweet, used for ailments like stomach ache.
Dr Elodie Freymann from Brown University, a lead researcher, highlighted the connection between human and non-human medicines. Scientists are now collecting further evidence using cameras and analysing the plants to investigate their biological activity and potential for new medicines.