African Elephants May Be Using Farm Crops As Medicine

Key Points:

• Farmers in Gabon frequently experience elephant raids on their crops, where elephants consume leaves and stems but often leave the fruit untouched, prompting local scientist Steeve Ngama to investigate this behavior.
• Ngama's research found that elephants showing signs of gut parasites were more likely to eat banana leaves and papaya stems, plants known to contain compounds that may help combat stomach parasites.
• This suggests elephants may practice self-medication and share this knowledge socially, a behavior also observed in other animals like chimpanzees and orangutans.
• Crop raids cause significant losses for villagers, leading to conflicts where some farmers attempt to scare or kill elephants, but Ngama hopes providing alternative sources of medicinal plants could reduce these conflicts.
• Published in Ecological Solutions and Evidence in late 2025, Ngama’s study highlights elephant intelligence and the potential for improved coexistence between humans and elephants through better understanding of animal self-medication.