An orangutan has been observed using a medicinal plant to treat a wound on its face, marking the first record of such a phenomenon by any wild animal. This discovery highlights the remarkable intelligence and adaptability of these great apes, as well as their innate understanding of the healing properties of plants.
The orangutan was seen applying the medicinal plant to its wound in the Sabangau Forest, a peat-swamp forest in Borneo, Indonesia. Researchers have been studying the island’s orangutans for decades, and this behavior is the first known example of a nonhuman animal using a topical analgesic. The plant in question is Dracaena cantleyi, an unremarkable-looking shrub with stalked leaves, which is also used by local people to treat aches and pains.