The research combines the study of animal behavior with the traditional knowledge of the Sabaot indigenous community. The research team interviewed eight people with more than twenty years of experience in the area, including guides, wildlife monitors, and community elders. The interviews allowed them to connect their observations of elephants with the traditional medicinal uses of various plant species.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n In total, the study identifies 39 natural resources linked to these practices: 35 plant species and four types of soil, minerals, or clays. Of these, 34 also have traditional medicinal uses among the local population. Additionally, eight plant species were classified as potential therapeutic resources used by sick animals or administered to their offspring. The behaviors described include the consumption of specific parts of certain plants, their infrequent or seasonal search, and specific movements to access them. Interviewees also reported instances where some mothers provided certain plant resources to their young.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n The researchers behind the study point out that this data alone does not prove the conscious use of plants’ medicinal properties. However, it does provide evidence that justifies further investigation into these behaviors through field observations, information on the animals’ health status, and pharmacological analyses. <\/span><\/span> Source: <\/span><\/span>Nature<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p>\n Image by <\/span><\/span>Dariusz Labuda<\/span><\/span><\/a> on <\/span><\/span>Pixabay<\/span><\/span><\/a><\/p><\/div><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" A study published in the journal Nature \u00a0analyzes the potential use of medicinal plants by African elephants in the Mount Elgon region of Kenya. The research compiles observations on the selective consumption of certain natural resources and examines their possible relationship with self-medication behaviors.
\nThe study also highlights the value of integrating local knowledge into research on animal behavior and biodiversity, and opens new avenues of study on the relationships between wildlife, natural resources, and conservation.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/files\/2026\/09\/baluda-elephants-466602_1920-300x201.jpg\")
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\nThe research combines the study of animal behavior with the traditional knowledge […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4376,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[36688,633,575],"tags":[15077,29558,4640],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11925"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4376"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11925"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11925\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11925"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11925"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/satdi.umh.es\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11925"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}