Elephant To Be Given CBD To Treat Stress After Death Of Long-Time Companion
Polish Zoo Studies the Effects of CBD on Animals
For a long time, cannabidiol – a prominent chemical compound found in cannabis, also known as CBD – has been used to treat patients with back pain, joint pain, stress, and many other conditions.
Scientists and doctors are still working to learn more about CBD, but many of its users already treat it like a holy grail. In fact, a 2017 survey of cannabis users found that 29 percent of participants indicated that the medical relief coming from CBD products was their favorite aspect of it.
Clearly, human patients have benefited from using CBD – but can animals benefit, too? That’s what one Polish Zoo is trying to figure out.
Warsaw Zoo is a prominent zoo for a number of reasons. The zoo was a prominent hiding spot during World War II, and it’s the location of the recent New York Times bestselling novel, The Zookeeper’s Wife.
Today, the zoo has a number of distinguished exhibits. Among them are an ape house, a hippopotamus house, a shark aquarium, and a massive elephant exhibit spanning 6,000 square meters.
The elephant exhibit, a favorite among visitors, faced a tragedy earlier this year. The zoo held four elephants until one elephant passed away in March. Its name was Erna, and she was the largest female and elder of the herd.
Animals can develop close bonds – especially when they are held in close quarters for such a long time. When Erna passed away, one of the remaining three elephants, named Fredzia, began to grieve. Zookeepers noted an immediate change in the elephant’s behavior, BBC reports.
“Fredzia reacted strangely when she saw Erna’s body. She was really excited,” explained Dr. Agnieszka Czujkowska, head of the zoo’s Animal Rehabilitation Department. “But you could see that she was also grieving, actually. She was also depressed.”
Fredzia has displayed signs of stress since the death, and she has struggled to establish a new relationship with another elephant.
“This is a huge game-changer in every elephant group. Elephants might have behavioral problems when the structure of a group changes,” Dr. Czujkowska said.
The incident has inspired Warsaw Zoo to participate in a new, experimental kind of treatment. Dr. Czujkowska and her colleagues will test whether CBD oil will reduce the elephant’s anxiety.
The first stage of the trial has already been completed on the zoo’s elephants. Doctors collective saliva, blood, and stool samples from the animals, and monitored their cortisol levels. Cortisol is a hormone produced by humans and animals under stress.
“We are planning to give them the CBD and measure the cortisol again. This is the experiment. Then we know for sure [if the CBD oil] is working or not,” said Dr. Czujkowska.
The doctor does not expect the elephants to face any serious side effects, as CBD is not very potent.
Dr. Czujkowska says this is the first test of its kind of be completed. If the CBD oil works, one elephant is about to feel much better – and it could be a game-changer for the future of medicine.
