The orangutan excited the scientists. He treated the open wound with a medicinal plant

The researchers observed the male, which they named Rakus, plucking and chewing the leaves of a medicinal plant used by people in Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation. An adult orangutan applied plant juices to a wound on his right cheek using his fingers. After researchers saw her apply a compress to her face, the wound healed completely within a month, BBC News reported on Thursday.

How they came to the discovery during their expedition in the environment of the Indonesian protected rainforest, the researchers describe in a study in the scientific journal Scientific Reports, which was published on Thursday.

“They are our closest relatives, and the new findings point again to the similarities we share with them. We are more alike than we are different,” said biologist Isabella Laumerová from the German Max Planck Institute.

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Orangutans eat this plant very rarely

If we look at the situation in more detail, a research team in Sumatra’s Gunung Leuser National Park saw a Rakus with a large wound on its face in June 2022. They believe the injury was sustained in a fight with rival male orangutans. The researchers then saw Rakus chewing the stem and leaves of an anti-inflammatory and antibacterial plant that is also used in Indonesia to treat malaria and diabetes.

The orangutan began repeatedly applying the liquid to his face for seven minutes. Rakus also smeared the chewed leaves on his wound until it was completely covered and fed on the plant for over half an hour. The paste and leaves seemed to help—the researchers saw no signs of infection, and the wound closed within five days. After a month, it was completely healed, leaving only a small scar.

The high intelligence of orangutans has long been known, partly due to their practical skills such as using tools to crack nuts and find insects. Additionally, according to experts, Rakus knew he was injecting himself with the drug because orangutans rarely eat this particular plant and also because the treatment took a long time. The researchers also observed that Rakus rested much longer than usual—more than half the day—suggesting that it was trying to recover from its injury.

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Scientists already knew that great apes used medicine when they wanted to get well. In the 1960s, biologist Jane Goodall noted whole leaves in chimpanzee feces, and others documented seeing apes ingesting leaves with medicinal effects.

Among other things, Bornean orangutans have also been observed rubbing their hands and feet with chewed leaves of a plant that humans use to treat sore muscles, while chimpanzees have been recorded chewing on plants known to treat worm infections and applying insects to wounds. However, this new discovery is the first time a wild animal has been observed treating open wounds with a substance known to have healing properties.

“In the case of chimpanzees, insects were used and unfortunately it was never established whether these insects actually promote wound healing. Whereas in our case, an orangutan used a plant and this plant has known medicinal properties,” lead study author Caroline Schuppli told The Guardian.

It is not yet clear whether Rakus came up with this process on his own or learned it from another orangutan. However, this was not observed in any other individual.