BBC reports on Raku, a Sumatran orangutan, who has become the first non-human animal observed creating medicine – intentionally mashing up plants to create a paste to smear on an open wound on his face:
A research team in the Gunung Leuser National Park, Indonesia spotted Rakus with a large wound on his cheek in June 2022.
They believe he was injured fighting with rival male orangutans because he made loud cries called “long calls” in the days before they saw the wound.
The team then saw Rakus chewing the stem and leaves of plant called Akar Kuning – an anti-inflammatory and anti-bacterial plant that is also used locally to treat malaria and diabetes.
He repeatedly applied the liquid onto his cheek for seven minutes. Rakus then smeared the chewed leaves onto his wound until it was fully covered. He continued to feed on the plant for over 30 minutes.
The paste and leaves then appear to have done their magic – the researchers saw no sign of infection and the wound closed within five days.
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Scientists were already aware that great apes used medicine to try to heal themselves.
In the 1960s biologist Jane Goodall saw whole leaves in the faeces of chimpanzees, and others documented seeing great apes swallowing leaves with medicinal properties.
But they had never seen a wild animal applying a plant to a wound.
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You can read more of the medical research here, in Scientific Reports.