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An orangutans named Rakus living in Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park displayed intelligent behavior by treating a facial wound with a medicinal plant. This is the first documented case of a wild animal using a plant with known healing properties to treat an injury.
- Rakus plucked leaves from a creeper called Akar Kuning (Fibraurea tinctoria), known for its anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory properties.
- He chewed the leaves and applied the pulp to the wound.
- Researchers believe Rakus might have learned this technique from other orangutans.
“This is the first time that we have observed a wild animal applying a quite potent medicinal plant directly to a wound,” said co-author Isabelle Laumer, a biologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior.
The wound healed completely within a week. This observation raises interesting questions about the cognitive abilities of orangutans and how they might be similar to humans.
Orangutans are our closest living relatives, sharing nearly 97% of our DNA. They are highly intelligent and known for their problem-solving skills. This discovery suggests that Orangutans may share some understanding of medicinal plant and their uses.
Further research is needed to understand the extent of their knowledge and how this behavior is learned.
