Emily Chan
A wild Sumatran orangutan in Indonesia has been spotted using a paste made from plants to apply to a wound on his cheek. This medical marvel is the first of its kind to be reported.
Tales of animals being able to understand the healing powers of plants are widespread, but they were always just stories without any scientific basis.
Now, researchers have managed to observe for the first time that any species other than humans treating an injury with a plant.
The orangutan in question is a male named Rakus. He lives with other members of his species in the Gunung Leuser National Park.
After researchers saw him chewing the leaves of the Akar Kuning plant and applying the resulting paste to his face, the wound healed successfully within a month’s time.
In June 2022, Dr. Isabelle Laumer and her colleagues noticed that Rakus had a wound on his right cheek. Three days later, they witnessed him chewing on Akar Kuning for seven minutes.
He applied the chewed-up leaves only on the wound, making sure that it was fully covered. It is believed that Rakus acquired the injury during a fight with other adult males.
At the park, fights between orangutans are infrequent, but there was no dominant male in the area, and Rakus seemed to have been trying to assume that position.
The fight itself was not directly observed, but sounds of a conflict between adult males could be heard. After the wound appeared, he rested more than usual until he made a full recovery.
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