First Recorded Case: Orangutan Applies Medicinal Plant to Wound
A stunning finding by researchers researching orangutans in the Sumatran jungles was an adult male called Rakus using a medicinal herb to heal a face cut. This is the first time an animal has been seen putting a plant directly on an exterior lesion; the behaviour was reported in the journal Scientific Reports.
Rakus and His Injuries
After what seemed like a battle with another orangutan, Rakus had a big cut on his face. He was continually chewing on the leaves of a certain liana plant that is said to be pain-relieving, according to researchers. He even proceeded to prepare a paste out of the leaves and put it straight on his wound.
Never previously seen in animals, this behaviour points to a profound knowledge of self-care and possible therapeutic uses of plants. Rakus' wound totally healed in a week, which confirmed the possible advantages of his deeds.
Exposing Animal Self-Medication Secrets
This find is one more in a growing collection of data indicating that different animal species self-medicate. Even if the degree of complexity may differ, these animals' capacity to recognise and use herbs that relieve pain suggests a very high degree of cognitive function.
Researchers think that this behaviour may have originated from a common ancestor of humans and big apes, indicating a long-standing knowledge of therapeutic plants handed down through the years.
Studying Orangutans in the Wild: An Unusual Research Opportunity
Only because of the long-term study experiment carried out in the Suaq Balimbing research area inside Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park was it able to observe Rakus' self-medication in great detail. Rakus has been a regular visitor to the region, where researchers have been researching the local orangutan population since 1994.
By closely observing certain orangutans throughout their everyday activities, researchers may learn a great deal about their behaviour and decision-making processes. Although the precise cause of Rakus' self-medication habit is still unknown, it may be explained by personal creativity or by absorbing other orangutan cultures.
Known for their capacity for social learning and their vast food source knowledge inherited from their mothers, orangutans. This sophisticated knowledge of the rainforest ecology also applies to therapeutic plants, emphasising their extraordinary cognitive capacities.
