Wild Orangutan Applies Plant Medicine to Wound: A Groundbreaking Discovery in Animal Healing Practices

In a groundbreaking study published in the journal Scientific Reports, researchers have observed an orangutan in Washington using medicine from a tropical plant to heal a wound on its cheek. This behavior is the first time scientists have documented a wild animal directly applying a plant to a wound.

The study was conducted by researchers at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany, and the Suaq Project in Medan, Indonesia. The orangutan’s behavior was recorded in 2022 and showed that the wound healed within a month without any complications. Researchers have been studying orangutans in Indonesia’s Gunung Leuser National Park since 1994 but had never observed this behavior before.

Experts, such as biologist Jacobus de Roode from Emory University, noted that observing new behaviors in animals from a single observation is not uncommon. However, the discovery of the orangutan using medicine from a tropical plant to heal its wound sheds light on the complex behaviors and capabilities of animals in their natural habitats. Further research and observations may provide more insights into the natural healing practices of animals in their environments.