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       Orangutan, Heal Thyself

       For the first time, scientists observed a primate in the wild treating a wound with a plant that has medicinal properties.

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       A Sumatran orangutan named Rakus, shown two days before applying a medicinal plant to treat his facial wound.Credit...Armas

       By Douglas Main

       May 2, 2024, 11:00 a.m. ET

       Scientists observed a wild male orangutan repeatedly rubbing chewed-up leaves of a medicinal plant on a facial wound in a forest reserve in Indonesia.

       It was the first known observation of a wild animal using a plant to treat a wound, and adds to evidence that humans are not alone in using plants for medicinal purposes.

       The male orangutan, Rakus, lives in the Gunung Leuser National Park on the island of Sumatra and is thought to be around 35 years old. For years researchers have followed orangutans like him on his travels through the forest, threading his way through the canopy in search of fruits to eat.

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