Humans arent the only primates with a medicine cabinet, it seems.
The sighting was captured by primate researcher Isabelle Laumer and her colleagues.
The wound was likely obtained from a recent fight with a neighboring male.
A photo of an unidentified Sumatran orangutan.Photo: PEnsell Photography (Shutterstock)
Three days after his wound appeared, Rakus did something that the researchers had never seen before.
For starters, Rakus only applied the plant to his wounds and nowhere else on his body.
He was then observed eating the plant again the next day.
Snapshots of Rakus the orangutan before, during, and after his successful first aid treatment using Fibraurea tinctoria.Photo: Laumer et al/Scientific Reports
The actual plant used by Rakus is called Fibraurea tinctoria, also known as Akar Kuning.
But perhaps the most dramatic piece of evidence is that Rakus seemed to heal quickly following his plant treatment.
Within five days, his wound had closed up, and by late August, it was barely noticeable.
There have been other reports of self-medicating being performed by animals in the wild, including other primates.
Some animals have also been observed eating plants that might have painkilling or healing abilities.
So it is possible that he might have originally learned the behavior from observing others where he grew up.
But its also possible that Rakus is simply a crafty and somewhat lucky orangutan.
In the meantime, they hope their research can help us appreciate our great ape cousins a bit better.
Observing wound treatment with a medical plant in our closest relatives again points towards the similarities we share.
We are more similar than different, she said.
We hope this study raises awareness of their critically endangered status in the wild.
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