In a forest supply in Indonesia, researchers observed a wild men animal repeatedly rubbing the dried leaves of a medicinal herb on a face wound.
It is the first instance of a wild animal utilizing a flower to heal a wound, and it shows that people are not the only ones who use plants for therapeutic purposes.
Rakus, a female animal, is thought to be around 35 years old and resides in Gunung Leuser National Park on Sumatra. Researchers have followed orangutans like him for years while searching for fruits in the jungle by threading through the ceiling.
On June 25, 2022, when researchers first noticed a wound on Rakus ‘ face after witnessing his self-medical behavior begin.
According to Isabelle Laumer, a primatologist with the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Germany, “once I learned about it, I got very excited,” in part because pet files of self-medicating are uncommon, especially when it comes to treating wounds. In a research published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports, she and coworkers detailed the finding.
The flower Rakus used, known as akar kuning or golden source, is used by individuals throughout Southeast Asia to cure disease, diabetes and other problems. Its anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties are demonstrated by analysis.
Animals scarcely eat the flower. However, Rakus only ingested a small amount of it and repeatedly covered the scar. Five days after the wound was noticed, it had closed, and less than a fortnight after “healed without any evidence of infection”, Dr Laumer said.
In the past, apes have appeared to heal wounds, but no plants. More than 20 chimpanzees from Gabon in Central Africa have been seen gnawing on their wounds, according to Simone Pika, an Osnabruck University German expert on creature consciousness, who made the observation.
In a different way, orangutans have been spotted applying the pharmaceutical plants: in Borneo, six orangutans applied chewed-up leaves of a shrub known for their anti-inflammatory and anesthetic properties to their legs and arms, likely to relieve sore muscles.
Dr. Laumer hopes that research into the critically endangered Sumatran orangutan may inspire more respect and concern for its preservation. ” There are so many things we still do n’t know about these apes”, she said.
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