Poland, a zoo plans to start giving medical marijuana to its elephants in order to help reduce their stress levels. Warsaw Zoo will administer liquid does of CBD oil to three African elephants. This is done directly into the elephants’ mouths or via their food, to see if it has the same relaxing effects that can be seen on humans.
This technique has previously been used to successfully treat dogs and horses in other parts of the world, however, Dr. Agnieszka Czujkowska, who is heading and leading up the project, believes that it could be the ‘first initiative of its kind for elephants.’
She said “We are planning to give them the CBD and measure the cortisol again. This is the experiment. Then we know for sure the oil is working or not.”
Derived from the cannabis plant, the CBD oil won’t create the ‘high’ euphoric effect caused by smoking or ingesting the plant. The oil will not have any harmful side effects on the animals’ kidneys or liver, either, said Dr. Czujkowska.
“It’s not very potent. The only side effect will be some behavioral changes. We will have to manage these to achieve the results we want,” she explained in detail.
It said that is actually an attempt in order to find anew safe and natural way to the existing methods of combating stress, especially pharmaceutical drugs.
The elephants have been facing with stress since March when their alpha female Erna passed away. one of the elephants, Fredzia, can be seen having a difficult time creating a relationship with her female companion Bupa, since Erna’s death. That is the main reason Fredzia is believed to be the perfect candidate to try out the cannabis oil, to see if it can cure her with her loss.
It said that the project has already begun with the first stage, where they collected faeces, saliva, and also blood samples from the mammals. The results will not be expected for two years, but Dr. Czujkowska said, “but Fredzia is all alone and she needs [help] to manage it.”
Source: Unilad