An orangutan named Rakus has exhibited an understanding of self-medication, as scientists have observed him utilizing medicinal herbs to treat a facial wound.
This observation proved successful in healing the injury. The incident occurred after researchers heard a confrontation between male orangutans in the canopy of a rainforest in Sumatra, Indonesia. Rakus was tracked by the scientists at Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia’s Aceh province. Upon locating him three days later, they observed an open wound on his face, during which Rakus demonstrated remarkable intelligence by attempting to heal a pink wound beneath his right eyelid.
Orangutan was seen chewing the leaves of a vine known as Fibraurea tinctoria, renowned for its medicinal properties
During this remarkable moment, Rakus was seen chewing the leaves of a vine known as Fibraurea tinctoria, renowned for its medicinal properties and frequently used in local traditional medicine practices. These findings were detailed in a publication in the journal Nature Scientific Reports on Thursday, May 2. This marked the first instance of a wild animal observed applying medicinal plants to a wound, as witnessed by researchers in Indonesia in 2022.
This is the first time a wild animal has been seen applying medicinal plants to a wound.
The study conducted by Indonesian and German scientists highlighted Rakus’s behavior, noting that he “began chewing the leaves without swallowing them and using his fingers to apply the plant juice from his mouth directly onto his facial wound.”
The researchers continued to monitor Rakus the following day, observing him consuming the vine’s leaves once again. The study reported that his wound had closed around a week later, with no signs of infection.
“This study is the first systematic documentation of the putative active wound treatment with a biologically active plant substance in great apes and other non-human species,” a discussion of the story mentioned.
“The flanged male orangutan Rakus was observed to selectively detach, chew, and repeatedly apply the chewed leave juice directly on his three-day-old facial wound for several minutes and covered the entire wound with a chewed-up leaf mash,” the study added.
The finding is an addition to a growing body of information concerning how monkeys use plants to stay healthy.