Eight Sabaot observers told researchers sick elephants in Kenya’s Mount Elgon region may seek plants; they identified eight for therapeutic use. They also described mothers feeding calves chewed roots and leaves mixed with milk, a practice they called a kind of “immunization.”
The interviewees said elephants consumed 35 plant species and four types of soil or mineral. Researchers found that 87% of those resources are also used in local human medicine. Reports linked Dombeya plants with digestion and softer droppings, and another plant with increased appetite in calves.
The reports are observational; researchers say pharmacological testing and long-term tracking are needed. Michael Huffman, a primatologist not involved in the study, called the calf-feeding account “tantalizing” but said more evidence is needed to establish tailored treatment. Co-author Elodie Freymann said the findings raise a broader question about what may be lost when forests disappear.
