For the first time in the study of animal behaviours, chimpanzees have been observed capturing insects and applying them to their own wounds as well as the wounds of others as possible medication.
The behaviour of one animal applying medication to the wounds of other animals has never been seen before. It may be a sign of helpful tendencies in the primates similar to empathy in humans.
Researchers witnessed multiple instances of this behaviour within a community of about 45 chimpanzees at the Loango National Park in Gabon as part of the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project.
The findings were published Monday in the journal Current Biology, with the project aiming to study relationships and interactions between chimps. Self-medication is not a new behaviour, as animals such as bears, elephants and even bees have been observed to do so.
Our two closest living relatives, chimpanzees and bonobos, swallow leaves of plants with anthelmintic (anti parasitic) properties and chew bitter leaves that have chemical properties to kill intestinal parasites.
But this is the first recorded instance of animals applying other animal matter – insects – to open wounds. This shows they have an understanding of their food species but probably also the characteristics of other animal species that help to act against injuries.
Two chimpanzees, Suzee and her son Sia, were seen doing this in 2019. It continued to happen within the chimpanzee community, with the team cataloguing 76 cases of chimps using insects on their wounds and the wounds of others over 15 months between 2019 and 2021.
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