Wild orangutan seen using medicinal plant to treat wound, scientists say

South China Morning Post ^ | May 2, 2024 | Staff

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* An adult male named Rakus chewed a plant used by people in Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation, then applied it to an injury on his right cheek

* Photographs show the animal’s wound closed within a month without any problems

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Rakus, a Sumatran orangutan, is seen two months after he started treating himself with a medicinal plant at a protected rainforest area in Indonesia. Photo:Safruddin/Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour via Reuters AsiaSoutheast Asia Wild orangutan seen using medicinal plant to treat wound, scientists say An adult male named Rakus chewed a plant used by people in Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation, then applied it to an injury on his right cheek Photographs show the animal’s wound closed within a month without any problems Associated Press Associated Press + FOLLOW Published: 2:28am, 3 May 2024 Why you can trust SCMP Listen to this article An orangutan has apparently learned to treat wounds with medicine from a tropical plant – the latest example of how some animals attempt to soothe their own ills with remedies found in the wild, scientists reported on Thursday.

Scientists observed Rakus pluck and chew up leaves of a medicinal plant used by people throughout Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation. The adult male orangutan then used his fingers to apply the plant juices to an injury on the right cheek.

Afterward, he pressed the chewed plant to cover the open wound like a makeshift bandage, according to a new study in Scientific Reports.

Previous research has documented several species of great apes foraging for medicines in forests to heal themselves, but scientists hadn’t yet seen an animal treat itself in this way.

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