Wild Health

How animals keep themselves well and what we can learn from them

In the wild, nature is the pharmacy and every animal its own practitioners. Monkeys, bears and birds protect themselves from insect bites and fungal infections by rubbing medicinal plants and insects into their skin. Chimpanzees carefully select anti-parasitic medicines to deal with parasites. Elephants roam miles to find the clay they need to help counter dietary toxins. And birds help their chicks by lining their nests with aromatic leaves. Wild Health explores the behavioral strategies animals use to maintain health, many of which may be relevant to the improved animal husbandry and human health care.