Animals have behaviors that usually surprise more than one person because of how fun or curious they can be. But a orangutan managed to capture the attention of the scientific community by heal a wound with a plant what’s wrong with it properties medicinal.
Rakus it’s a wild orangutan who lives in the research area of Suaq Balimbingin it Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia. In 2022, the specimen suffered a wound under the eyewhich could have been caused by the fight with another orangutan, as explained Isabelle Laumerprimatologist at the Max Planck Institute and lead author of the study.
Nevertheless, Rakus achievement heal when applying on your wound a kind of ointment what did he do to chew sap leaves Akar Kuning, a medicinal plant with analgesic and antipyretic effects which is also part of the orangutan diet in that area of Indonesia.
“Rakus he fed and then applied the chewed leaves of sap in his wound June 25thhe June 26th It was observed again feeding on leaves of sapon June 30 wound was closed and on August 25 it was almost no longer visible,” according to researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior (Germany) and the National University (Indonesia) who followed its process.
The story of Rakus is the first “documented case of treatment of an injury by a wild animal with a plant species that contains active biological substances,” the study indicates.
Did Rakus know how to heal himself?
Before Rakusresearchers had already observed other orangutans chewing plants and then smearing them on their extremities, especially draceneaused by indigenous populations of Borneo to treat muscle pain.
Because of the above, investigators agree that Rakus’ behavior was not a coincidence and was intentional. That is, he knew that by chewing a certain plant and smearing it on his wound could be cured.
However, the researchers do not rule out that Rakus could have accidentally applied the juice of the plant on his wound, and as the plant have a analgesic effect He was able to replicate it when he felt relief.
Research on the behavior of Rakus and others orangutans should continue to find out about the existence of self-medication in the closest relatives of humans.