#Orangutan #treats #wound #medicinal #plant #purposeful
AFPRakus suffered the wound during a fight with another animal
NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 21:11
In June 2022, scientists observed an orangutan in the tropical rainforest of Sumatra treating a wound on its face with a medicinal plant. It is the first time that an animal has been observed doing this in this way.
Rakus, as the orangutan has been named by scientists, is one of the alpha males in the area on the Indonesian island. He may have sustained the wound in a fight with another animal and used the leaves of the akar kuning plant, which is known for its disinfectant and anti-inflammatory effect.
Type of plaster
First he chewed the leaves, then he applied the sap of the plant to the wound and then covered the wound with the leaves as a kind of plaster. The wound did not become infected and healed in five days.
This procedure is no coincidence, the scientists think. “His behavior seemed purposeful. He very specifically treated the wound on his face with the plant juice, not other parts of the body. He did this several times.”
Liesbeth Sterck, behavioral biologist at Utrecht University, also calls it unlikely that the orangutan accidentally rubbed the wound with the plant. “This man was very conscious. He put it right on the wound.”
According to Sterck, this focus is special. “We know that animals eat certain plants because they have a medicinal effect, but they don’t have to do much to do so. What is so special is that he has edited the plant.”
Discovered or learned
Although Rakus’ behavior indicates that animals are able to treat wounds with suitable plants, it is still unclear to what extent they understand exactly what they are doing.
It is also not yet certain how he discovered that he had to use this particular plant. He may have discovered this by chance himself, but he may also have learned it from orangutans in his area.
Tools
Orangutans are good at solving problems. They learn by watching each other and pass on their knowledge from generation to generation. They also use tools in different circumstances.
Akar kuning is common in China and Southeast Asia and is used in traditional medicine to combat malaria, for example.
