Science is Fun Fridays!

 

Rakus is a wild Sumatran orangutan who was found with a wound to his cheek, likely the result of a fight for dominance.

He was seen chewing the leaves of the Akar Kuning plant, and applying them deliberately to his wound.  Within three weeks, he was completely healed.

Sumatrans know the plant for preventing infection, as well as in treatment for malaria, dysentery, and diabetes.  Orangutans appear to be avid users of medicinal plants, but this is the first time such specific application has been witnessed.

There have been reports of Bornean orangutans chewing Dracaena cantleyi leaves and rubbing the lather on their arms and legs.  According to Indigenous peoples in the area, it is used to treat sore muscles and bone pain.