Elephants in Gabon May Be Raiding Farms for Medicinal Purposes, Study Suggests

In the West African nation of Gabon, elephants frequently enter farmlands at night, causing significant damage to crops and triggering anger among farmers. However, a recent scientific study suggests that these incursions may not be driven by hunger alone, but also by health-related needs.

Farmers have long observed a curious pattern: elephants often consume the leaves and stems of banana and papaya plants, while leaving the edible fruits broken on the ground and uneaten.

“Farmers are still angry because the fruits are destroyed without being consumed,” said Steve Nakama, a conservation scientist with the National Centre for Scientific Research in Cape Town. “This behaviour made us suspect there was a deeper reason behind it.”

Banana and papaya leaves are known to contain medicinal properties, particularly compounds with anti-parasitic effects. This led researchers to ask whether elephants instinctively seek out these plants when suffering from internal parasites or digestive ailments.

To investigate this hypothesis, scientists from Gabon, Europe, and the United States conducted a joint study, which was published in October in the journal Ecological Solutions and Evidence. The research focused on elephant behaviour and health indicators over the 2016–2017 period.

Researchers analysed dung samples collected from areas frequently visited by elephants. The findings showed that elephants infected with intestinal parasites were 16% more likely to consume banana leaves and 25% more likely to feed on papaya plants compared to healthier individuals.

The results suggest that elephants may deliberately select certain plants for their medicinal benefits, a behaviour known as self-medication, researchers said.

However, Elodie Freeman, a researcher at Brown University in the United States, cautioned that the findings are not conclusive. “Elephants living closer to humans and livestock may be more exposed to parasites, which could influence the results,” she noted. “That said, there is little doubt that elephants possess sophisticated knowledge of medicinal plants.”

Previous studies have confirmed that banana and papaya plants contain compounds capable of killing or suppressing parasites. Scientists believe that, like other animals, elephants can learn through experience which plants benefit their health and pass this knowledge within their herds.

“If elephants had access to these medicinal plants elsewhere, they might not need to enter agricultural fields,” Nakama said.

Researchers also believe that understanding elephants’ natural medical knowledge could help humans discover new medicinal compounds. “Elephants are extremely intelligent animals,” Nakama added. “There is much we can learn from them.”