Orangutan Instinctively Uses Plant to Treat Wound and Even Scientists Are Impressed

Talk about a cool story! CBS News shared some interesting news about an orangutan named Rakus who used a specific plant to treat a wound. The video was shared on Saturday, May 4th and it has people talking.

A researcher in Medan, Indonesia recorded Rakus back in 2022. The orangutan had an injury on his face - an open wound - that he knew needed to be treated. He sought out a specific plant that orangutans don't normally eat, but that people throughout Southeast Asia use to treat wounds. He chewed up the plant and then used his fingers to cover his wound with it, using the plant as an all-natural band-aid!

Pretty incredible! How did Rakus know which plant to use? CBS News commenters were also impressed. @KillianKane shared, "How do you think we learned it. Animals are known to eat certain things when sick or even when they have worms, and it kills the worms." @Atlassian added, "This is basically like watching evolution real time!"

Related: Busch Gardens in Tampa Welcomes Critically Endangered Baby Orangutan

More About the Research of Rakus

In CBS' online article they share, "Previous research has documented several species of great apes foraging for medicines in forests to heal themselves, but scientists hadn't yet seen an animal treat itself in this way." Researchers believe that the orangutan got the wound after fighting with another animal, but within a month of Rakus' treatment, his wound was fully healed! One researcher referred to it as self-medication since the orangutan only applied the to the wound and no other body part.

Although the researchers have been observing orangutans since 1994 in Indonesia's Gunung Leuser National Park this is the first time they've witnessed this behavior in orangutans, though other primates have been recorded using plants to treat themselves. The article gives these examples, "Chimpanzees in multiple locations have been observed chewing on the shoots of bitter-tasting plants to soothe their stomachs. Gorillas, chimpanzees, and bonobos swallow certain rough leaves whole to get rid of stomach parasites."

Sadly, orangutans are currently critically endangered. World Wildlife Fund explains that just a hundred years ago there were more than 230,000 orangutans in total and that those numbers have rapidly declined leaving only 100,000 Bornean orangutans left. This decline is due the primates being hunted by humans for food, because the monkeys raid crops so they are killed, and to steal babies from mothers to sell into illegal pet trading rings. They also are experiencing a loss of habitat due to human expansion. Another reason is because of their slow reproduction rates - females only give birth every 6-8 years.

Thankfully researchers, zoos, and conservation teams work diligently to share information about these animals to educate people about them and in efforts to save them. As Maya Angelou said, "When you know better you do better" and hopefully people will understand the importance of saving these orangutans and work to protect these animals so that they do not go extinct.

Looking for more PetHelpful updates? Follow us on YouTube for more entertaining videos. Or, share your own adorable pet by submitting a video, and sign up for our newsletter for the latest pet updates and tips.