Practical Applications from the Study of Great Ape Self-Medication and Conservation Related Issues

Investigation of self-medicative behavior in the African great apes is important. for understanding how apes combat parasite infection and other pathogens that affect their health, ~production and ultimate survival (1). 1b date, three general types of self-medicative behavior have been identified; bitter pith chewing, whole leaf swallowing and geophagy. These behaviors are hypothesized to assist in the control of parasite infection and related symptoms of gastrointestinal upset (2, 3, 4, 5). The genus of nematode found to be most closely associated with self-medication in Mahale chimpanzees (3), ·Oesophagostomum,. is known to infect a number of non-human primate species, occasionally humans, as well as pigs, sheep and cattle. While a number of broad spectrum anthelmintics are currently available for th