Without vets or hospitals, how do wild animals treat themselves

Animals and birds self-medicate for two reasons: to prevent infections or get rid of them when symptoms appear.

Among primates, deworming is a big issue, especially in the rainy season. Chimpanzees will roll the leaves of a plant, Aspilla, active against nematode parasites, in their mouths, make capsules of them and then swallow. The parasites attach themselves to these, and laxative action does the rest. Smaller primates like tamarins eat fruit with large seeds which are swallowed whole, which consequently dislodge parasites lodged in the intestines. Brown bears take laxatives before hibernating to ensure their innards are parasite-free, because they cannot afford freeloaders at this crucial time. African elephants eat the leaves of a tree of the borage clan to induce labour. Women in Kenya are said to make tea from those leaves for the same reason. Indian wild boars dig up and eat the roots of the pigweed (also known as Amaranthus), a plant acting as a vermicide – getting rid of parasites without harming the host.

The same happens when dogs and cats eat grass after gobbling half a kilo of stolen butter or cream: the silica-edged leaves irritate the stomach lining and they throw up and throw up and throw up (and you have to clean up and clean up and clean up!)

To prevent the effect of toxic (but possibly delicious) substances, many creatures like parrots, chimpanzees, forest elephants and mountain gorillas eat kaolin, a clay mineral, which absorbs these toxins, acts as an antacid, neutralises endoparasites like tapeworm, and supplies essential minerals and iron. It amazes me how animals know when their electrolyte levels are low!

Skincare is of utmost importance for most animals – who, like us, may be plagued by mosquitoes and other biting flies, which irritate and pass diseases like malaria. Natural insect-repellents may come in diverse forms – from chewed-up leaves to rubbed-on millipedes. Brown bears are known to make a paste of Osha (Ligusticum porteri) leaves and saliva and apply it on their fur for this purpose. Many primates vigorously massage themselves with rolled up millipedes. Millipedes secrete benzoquinones which violently repel insects and have a wonderful side-effect: they give the monkeys a blissful high, so they can loll about like the best stoners in the business!

You may have seen birds squirming ecstatically on the top of an anthill, wings outspread in an exercise called ‘anting’. Some ants spray formic acid which is repellent to parasites like feather lice. Birds have plenty of these in their plumage. As many as 200 species of songbirds do this, and some pick up ants and rub them deliberately down the shafts of their feathers to get rid of parasites. House sparrows use Neem leaves to keep their nests bug-free but astonishingly, according to one source, switch to the leaves of the Krishna chura (Delox regia) tree, which is rich in quinine during outbreaks of malaria. I had no idea that sparrows could get malaria!

There are many more examples of the denizens of jungleland helping themselves to mother nature’s pharmacy, but sourpuss scientists are still loathe to give them full credit for their successes. Most of the evidence, they sniff, is observational and anecdotal and has not been proved by the scientific method of vigorous laboratory testing, blah-blah. But really, who are we to talk? Some of the most ‘intelligent’ among us humans firmly believe that rhino horn can make girls swoon over guys, crushed tiger bones can cure every known disease, pangolin scales can help in lactation issues and with arthritis, ‘sacred’ ash dispensed by babas can cure heart ailments (I have personal experience here – it cannot!). We have put the lives of so many species in peril because of these ludicrous beliefs. Certainly, the animals seem to know better!