For the first time, it was recorded that an orangutan self-applied herbs to heal facial wounds

Scientists observed an orangutan (orangutan) applying herbs to a wound on its face and it seemed to heal the wound. This is the first time this behavior has been recorded in wild animals.

In the past, primates have been seen eating plants or rubbing plants on their bodies, behaviors that scientists speculate are intended to ward off illness or discomfort.

However, the above behavior of orangutans observed by researchers in Indonesia in 2022 and reported in the journal Nature Scientific Reports on May 2, is the first time a wild animal has been discovered using Plants have healing effects on wounds.

Before and after photos show a healed wound on the face of a Sumatran orangutan. (Source: AP)

Scientists were monitoring a male orangutan named "Rakus" at Gunung Leuser National Park in Indonesia's Aceh province when they discovered an open wound on the animal's face.

Three days later, they discovered Rakus chewing on the leaves of the Fibraurea tinctoria plant, which is known for its medicinal properties and has long been used in folk medicine. local space.

Research by Indonesian and German scientists said that the orangutan "began to chew the leaves without swallowing and used his fingers to apply leaf juice from his mouth directly onto the wound on his face".

When flies began to swarm the wound, Rakus "smeared the entire wound with leaf residue until the red flesh was completely covered with green leaves".

The next day, Rakus was again seen eating the leaves of said vine and a week later its wound began to heal, then healed completely with no signs of infection.

The above study describes this behavior as "the first systematically documented case of a wild animal actively treating a wound with a plant known to contain bioactive substances".

The researchers said it is impossible to be sure this behavior was intentional, but the fact that the water and leaves were applied multiple times and only applied to the wound showed that Rakus was trying to treat his wound.

They speculate that the orangutan might have discovered this treatment by accident, perhaps by chewing the leaves first and then discovering the leaf juice had a pain-relieving effect when it accidentally touched the wound.

Orangutans can learn skills from others through observation, but scientists say they have not recorded such wound treatment behavior in 21 years and 28,000 hours of observation in the Gunung National Park area. Leuser.

However, Rakus came to this park from another area and this behavior suggests the possibility that the animal learned the treatment from another orangutan community.

This new observation extends the list of evidence for how primates use plants to maintain health, including swallowing leaves that have anti-parasitic properties.

In another area in Indonesia, researchers saw orangutans rubbing the chewed leaves of another plant onto their skin, possibly to take advantage of its anti-inflammatory properties.

In 2022, scientists reported a case of chimpanzees in Gabon that appeared to be applying insects to their wounds.