Have you ever seen a hospital run by animals in the wild? Me neither, probably because it is highly unlikely. However, animals have been around for millennia and have not always needed humans when they are injured and in need of help. Rakus, an orangutan in Indonesia, provided the first documented proof of animals using nature to heal themselves.
Wounded In The Wild
Let’s take an adventure over to Indonisia’s Gunung Leuser National Park. Here a group of scientists have spent years watching and studying orangutans, about 150 of them. Animals have been observed for many years, but here is where we find the first documented evidence of an animal using plants for self-healing and medication.
Dr. Rakus Heals Himself
Rakus, a male Sumatran Orangutan, is one of those 150 orangutans being studied within Gunung Leuser National Park’s Suaq Balimbing research area. After being watched by scientists since 1994, Rakus decided to reveal a secret in July of 2022. Rakus, likely after having a face-off with another male, turned up with a gash on his face. As painful as it must have been, it brought forward some new insight into the world of wildlife.
Dedicated to Healing
Whilst on watch, Ulil Azhari spotted something peculiar. Rakus, sitting in a tree, was chewing on a local vine called liana. Liana is locally used for the medicinal purpose of healing and as an anti-inflammatory, and now here sits Rakus making a paste. WHAT?! He continues to rub that paste onto his wound in an intentional manner.
It’s Not a Once-Off Script
Dedicated to his healing, Rakus continued to rub on this paste for a couple of minutes before covering it up with leaves. Make-shift bandage? 5 days later, the uninfected wound closed up and healed nicely. Rakus knew what he was doing and how to do it. Never before has this act been documented in the world of animal science.
Healing All Forms of Life
For all of time, nature has looked after nature. Animals take only what they need, they leave nature to grow and live as it should. Of course, humans came along and changed that…but that’s beside the point. Humans have used plants and nature as medications for as long as is known. It is said that we learn from the world around us, maybe we learnt this from animals.
Take a Deeper Look
Orangutans are a critically endangered species. With an IQ of 75 – 95, they are within the same IQ level as humans and yet still vanishing from the earth. How? The simple answer? Humans. We are driving them away from their homes, wanting to use the land for our selfish purposes. Losing their land means losing food, which will end in extinction if change is not made.
The Old Share Their Wisdom
At the old age of 32, 123 human years, Rakus showed us the intelligence that animals hold. Now and again we discover some new beauty in the world of nature. This should be a sign for us to protect it, the world around us is so incredible. You will be glad to know that, now 35 years old, Rakus is still alive in the National Park, happily living his best life.
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