An adult male named Rakus chewed a plant used by people in Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation, then applied it to an injury on his right cheek.
An orangutan appeared to treat a wound with medicine from a tropical plant— the latest example of how some animals attempt to soothe their own ills with remedies found in the wild, scientists reported Thursday. Scientists observed Rakus pluck and chew up leaves of a medicinal plant used by people throughout Southeast Asia to treat pain and inflammation. The adult male orangutan then used his fingers to apply the plant juices to an injury on the right cheek.
Orangutan Observed Treating Face Wound with Plant, First Documented Case tmz.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from tmz.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Karen Raterman, associate director of content marketing with Informa Markets/SupplySide, reflects on the magic of the 22nd International Conference on the Science of Botanicals.