An orangutan has been seen rubbing the juice of a pain-relieving plant into a wound – the first wild animal seen actively treating an injury.
Scientists say the jungle doctor’s experience suggests how early humans discovered medicine.
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Previous studies have observed monkeys eating medicinal plants or cleaning bloody wounds with leaves or insects, but never treating a cut directly.
Experts observed Rakus, a nearly 40-year-old wild monkey in Indonesia, nursing a deep wound on his cheek.
He rubbed it with chewed leaves of the Akar Kuning plant – used in human herbal medicine to kill bacteria and reduce pain and swelling.
Dr Isabelle Laumer said: “This is the first documented case of active wound treatment with a plant species known to contain biologically active substances by a wild animal.
“Rakus’ behavior appeared intentional, as he selectively treated his facial wound and no other parts of his body with the plant’s juice. It was repeated several times and took a considerable amount of time.
“Rakus rested more than usual and sleep positively affects wound healing.”
Dr Laumer said Rakus avoided infection, the wound closed in five days and healed within a month.
Experts couldn’t say whether he learned what to do from other orangutans – or whether he had done it before.
Dr Caroline Schluppi, from the Max Planck Institute in Germany, added: “It is possible that in humans and monkeys there is a common underlying mechanism for the recognition and application of substances with medical properties to wounds.”
The research, from summer 2022, was published in the journal Scientific Reports.
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