A Sumatran orangutan named Rakus was observed treating a wound with tropical medicinal plants. This shows how animals can use natural remedies to alleviate their very own pain, as scientists have observed.
In an article published within the journal Scientific Reports, Caroline Schuppli, the lead creator of the study working on the Institute for Animal Behavior Research. Max Planck in Germany and his colleagues report on their discoveries obtained while working within the Gunung Leuser National Park in Sumatra. , Indonesia. Scientists observed Rakus sustaining an injury in June 2022, likely because of this of a fight with one other male orangutan.
The team explained that while tracking a male Sumatran orangutan named Rakus, they found fresh wounds on its face. Three days later, they observed Rakus eating the stems and leaves of Fibraurea tinctoria, a kind of climbing vine.
Findings showed that Rakus, who had previously been observed using tropical medicinal plants to treat wounds, was then seen using his fingers to spread the plant’s sap on a wound on his right cheek. He pressed the chewed leaves of the plant like an emergency bandage to cover the open wound.
This shouldn’t be the primary discovery that wild animals heal themselves. For example, Bornean orangutans rub themselves with turmeric leaves, which might relieve muscle pain in humans. Chimpanzees also skillfully use medicinal plants to treat infections and insects to heal wounds. However, that is the primary time a wild animal has been discovered to make use of direct medication to treat an open wound.
In available photos, the animal’s wound appeared to heal inside a month with none problems.
Max Planck’s Caroline Schuppli, co-author of the study, said Rakus could have learned the technique from orangutans outside the park, which are usually not frequently monitored by researchers.
According to the team, this discovery provides a greater understanding of the origins of human wound care, which was first recorded in medical texts dating back to 2200 BC. Schuppli revealed that this discovery indicates that the fundamental cognitive abilities required for such behavior have long existed in our ancestors.
The team plans to see if other injured orangutans repeat the identical behavior in the long run. This may indicate that humans and orangutans could have similar behaviors.
Check out other interesting news on Seasia.co.
