An Orangutan in Sumatra surprised scientists when he was seen treating an open wound on his cheek with a poultice made from a medicinal plant. It’s the first scientific record of a wild animal healing a wound using a plant with known medicinal properties. The findings were published this week in Scientific Reports1.
Rakus used leaves from a liana climbing vine known to have anti-inflammatory and pain-relieving properties. Photograph: Saidi Agam/Suaq Project
“It shows that Orangutans and humans share knowledge. Since they live in the same habitat, I would say that’s quite obvious, but still intriguing to realize,” says Caroline Schuppli, a primatologist at the Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior in Konstanz, Germany, and a co-author of the study.
In 2009, Schuppli’s team was observing Sumatran Orangutans (Pongo abelii) in the Gunung Leuser National Park in South Aceh, Indonesia, when a young male moved into the forest. He did not have a mature male’s big cheek pads, called flanges, and was probably around 20 years old, Schuppli says. He was named Rakus, or ‘greedy’ in Indonesian, after he ate all the flowers off a gardenia bush in one sitting.
In 2021, Rakus underwent a growth spurt and became a mature flanged male. The researchers observed Rakus fighting with other flanged males to establish dominance and, in June 2022, a field assistant noted an open wound on his face, possibly made by the canines of another male, Schuppli says.
Days later, Rakus was observed eating the stems and leaves of the creeper akar kuning, which local people use to treat diabetes, dysentery and malaria, among other conditions. Orangutans in the area rarely eat this plant.
Leaves from the akar kuning variety of liana climbing vines. Photograph: Saidi Agam/Suaq Project
In addition to eating the leaves, Rakus chewed them without swallowing and used his fingers to smear the juice on his facial wound over seven minutes. Some flies settled on the wound, whereupon Rakus spread a poultice of leaf-mash on the wound. He ate the plant again the next day. Eight days after his injury, his wound was fully closed.
The research group has seen no other orangutans in the national park self-medicate using akar kuning in 21 years of observation. This could be because wild Orangutans in the region are rarely injured. Or perhaps Rakus is the only one who knows of this treatment, which could be a behaviour he picked up before he moved into the area.
Rakus with his open wound, two days before he was observed applying a poultice of medicinal leaves. Credit: Armas
“It is the first study to scientifically demonstrate that an animal is using a plant with medicinal properties applicable to wounds, and putting those on the wounds and consistently treating over a period of time,” says Michael Huffman, who studies animal self-medication at the Institute for Tropical Medicine at Nagasaki University in Japan.
Huffman says self-medication is seen in many species. Canadian Snow Geese swallow leaves whole to expel tape worms. Dusky-footed Wood Rats line their nests with aromatic plants to fumigate parasites. And Chimpanzees in Gabon have been observed rubbing insects near their wounds, potentially as treatment.
Humans might even have discovered some remedies by watching animals, he says. “Probably our ancestors were looking at other animals and learning about medicines.” When social animals communicate, “that information sticks and can last over generations”.
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After Whales and Dolphins, Ottawa intends to ban keeping Elephants and great Apes in captivity in the country “because of the cruelty they represent”.
A new bill, calledThe Jane Goodall Act, was introduced in the Senate on Tuesday to ban anyone from taking an Elephant or a great Ape, a term that includes Chimpanzees, Gorillas and Orangutans.
Canadian zoos won’t be able to bring in new elephants or apes under new federal legislation introduced this week, except under specific circumstances. Bill S-15 looks to ban all new captivity of the species except where a licence is granted for conservation, research or an animal’s best interest.
“The recapture of any Elephant or great Ape in Canada must meet very strict criteria demonstrating that the activity is for animal welfare, conservation or science,” commented the Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Steven Guilbeault.
Senator Marky Klyne of Saskatchewan sponsored the bill that was introduced on Tuesday. “It is upsetting to know that according to current standards, a person does not need to hold a permit to own a chimpanzee in some regions of Canada,” he lamented to explain the interest of his fee.
Elephants, for their part, are very intelligent animals that suffer when kept in captivity or presented to the public in an unnatural environment, added the senator in the second reading of the law on Thursday.
Minister Guilbeault announced the ban on the import of ivory from Elephant tusks and Rhino horns, including hunting trophies and articles carved from ivory, for which it is necessary to obtain a permit. Few exceptions are planned for museums and scientific research.
Elephant ivory and rhino horn imports have been banned by Ottawa
Tightening the laws
The law banning the captivity of great Apes and Elephants is part of a series of laws adopted to better protect animals in Canada and elsewhere in the world.
In 2019, Canada also banned the keeping of Whales and Dolphins in captivity.
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The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty and promote the welfare of ALL animals. We believe EVERY animal should be treated with respect, empathy, and understanding. We raise awareness to protect and conserve wild, captive, companion and farm animals.
It is vital that we protect animals against acts of cruelty, abuse, and neglect by enforcing established animal welfare laws and, when necessary, take action to ensure that those who abuse animals are brought to justice.
Protect All Wildlife are involved in many projects to protect animals’ rights, welfare, and habitats. Money contributed to Protect All Wildlife supports ALL of our worthy programmes and gives us the flexibility to respond to emerging needs. Your donations make our work possible.
Baby orangutans are prized possessions on the illegal black market, where many other critically endangered species are trafficked. Aman is just one of many infant Orangutans who were stolen from their mothers in the past couple of years, but his story highlights the extent of the illegal wildlife trade and the trauma that young orangutans suffer.
An infant Orangutan cannot be taken from its mother without force. Mother Orangutans will fight to the death to save their babies. To feed this insidious illegal trade, the mothers are almost certainly killed, often with machetes or guns. Not only are the infants traumatized and smuggled far from the forest, but the whole species is also robbed of future generations through the brutal murders of female orangutans.
Traumatic Transportation
Once captured by wildlife criminals, the babies are typically forced into boxes, crates, or even postage bags to be smuggled through or out of Indonesia, often to far-flung places like Thailand, the Middle East, Europe, or Singapore. Many also end up in small wooden cages, hidden away in homes across Indonesia. Owning a baby Orangutan is seen as a status symbol, even though the practice is illegal in both Indonesia and Malaysia.
Regardless of where these highly intelligent beings end up, their freedom is gone forever unless they can be rescued. They are often fed the wrong food, are unable to climb or make nests in trees, and can become unwell and experience mental health issues. Some, like Aman, will carry the physical reminders of their early trauma for the rest of their lives.
Aman’s Story – From Trauma to Safety
Aman is missing the tops of his fingers on his left hand. His rescuers in Borneo believe his fingers were most likely hacked off while he clung to his mother as she was killed. It’s almost impossible to imagine what this young orangutan has been through in his short life: from being torn from his mother’s arms and experiencing her murder, to the pain of losing his fingers, to being shoved into a chicken coop and forced to look out at the world through wooden slats.
Aman was rescued in June 2020 by the Bornean Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA) from a family home in Berau in East Kalimantan, Borneo. The BKSDA (Nature and Conservation Agency) contacted the BORA rescue team to notify them about an illegally held Orangutan, who they believed was about two years of age, and asked the team to help confiscate him.
The team immediately set to work and prepared an enclosure in their rescue center for the pending arrival at their vet clinic of the rescued Orangutan. They loaded a transport cage into their vehicle, left early one morning, and traveled to the home in Berau, where they found the young Orangutan peering up at them through the slats of a chicken coop. They learned he’d been fed mostly on bananas, water, and candy, and as soon as he was in their transportation crate, he was given leaves to rest on and fruit to eat. The confiscation and transport back to the rescue center went smoothly, although that is not always the case.
Within days of being rescued, the young Orangutan was recovering, learning to eat leaves and twigs, and finding simple joy in his freedom. Soon after he arrived at the rescue center, the team at The Orangutan Project, one of the BORA partners, contacted a bequestor to ask for a new name for the young orangutan. The name Aman was chosen as it means ‘safe’ in Indonesian.
Nearly two years later, Aman still occasionally struggles to climb trees or open fruit, but he never gives up. Through the love and kindness of the Orangutan carers, the good diet of fruit, leaves, twigs, and termites; and the opportunity to learn from older orangutans and carers how to climb trees, swing through the branches and build a nest, Aman is flourishing.
Jungle School was a new experience, but despite his missing fingertips, Aman is not daunted and is learning how to climb, swing through the trees, and forage for his food. He is a sweet, courageous young Orangutan who gives everything a go. Aman’s story is a testament to the resilience of young Orangutans who have been orphaned by the illegal wildlife trade, as long as they are one of the ‘lucky’ ones to be rescued from a life of captivity.
The Most Trafficked Great Ape
Orangutans are one of the most heavily trafficked critically endangered animals sold on the black market. International Orangutan conservation organization, The Orangutan Project, estimates that only one in six orangutans are rescued. Of the hundreds that the organization and its partners care for, there are thousands more that have been killed.
Surprisingly, some baby Orangutans are even bought and sold online through sites such as Facebook, Whatsapp, and Instagram. At a price tag of $1,000 or more, baby orangutans are highly prized within the illegal wildlife trade, which is also responsible for poaching Tigers, Elephants, Pangolins, Rhinos, and many more species.
As the forests of Borneo and Sumatra are destroyed, critically endangered species become more accessible to poachers. This, in turn, helps drive biodiversity loss throughout the remaining fragmented habitat. These dense, rich forests are healthiest when species like Orangutans, elephants, and tigers are flourishing.
Less than Ten Years to Save the Orangutan
I believe, along with many other scientists and primatologists, that there are less than ten years to save orangutan populations from becoming too small, vulnerable, and fragmented to stop them from spiraling towards extinction. Without urgent action to safeguard the remaining rainforests of Indonesia, many species will die out. As forests are cut down for timber, mining, and unsustainable monocultures such as palm oil, pulp paper, or rubber trees, orangutans and other species become easier prey for wildlife traffickers.
There are still forests in Borneo and Sumatra. There are still Orangutans, Tigers, and Elephants living wild and free in these forests. But without massive injections of funds to safeguard the remaining ecosystems, it won’t matter how many Orangutans are rescued from the illegal wildlife trade. While being rescued matters to individuals like Aman, this highly sentient species will have no forest habitat to return to without intact ecosystems.
We might save individual Orangutans, but if we don’t save the right size, type, and shape of the forest, Orangutans will become extinct in the wild. In 10 years, we might still have some forest left but not enough to sustain Orangutan populations. We might have some Orangutans left, but their numbers will be too low to secure the future of the species. And zoo populations are too small and too problematic to provide meaningful help.
The most important act we can take now is to safeguard the remaining forests of Sumatra and Borneo. The Orangutan Project aims to protect eight key ecosystems across Borneo and Sumatra through legally binding agreements that put a stop to legal deforestation, unsustainable monocultures, and mining in those forests. At present, this world-renowned international organization has formed partnerships that have helped secure the future of two key ecosystems: the Bukit Tigapuluh Ecosystem in Sumatra and the Sebangau Ecosystem in Borneo.
Working with key partners in Borneo and Sumatra, The Orangutan Project is approaching the problem from all sides. To ensure these forests stay intact, they employ teams of wildlife rangers to patrol the ecosystems to reduce all illegal activities such as logging, hunting, and snares. Their teams work closely with local communities, supporting economic development projects that provide incentives for forest conservation.
They engage with and empower indigenous communities in Borneo and Sumatra, responding to their immediate, expressed needs and aspirations with projects that support strength, resilience, and education. The evidence is encouraging; everywhere these rangers patrol the forest and engage local communities, illegal activities reduce over time, and farmers, children, and villagers become protectors of the forest.
All these efforts – from rescuing and rehabilitating Orangutans like Aman to patrolling vast tracts of forest and educating and empowering communities – require significant funds each year. Without funds from donors all over the world, such as Australia, the United States, Europe, and more, these activities would not be possible. Without support, many more Orangutans would be poached and illegally traded, and the richly biodiverse forests of Sumatra and Borneo would not be protected.
Although actions now save Orangutans like little Aman, these steps taken will also bear fruit in the future – in 10, 20, or more years. Some of us will not be alive to see the outcomes of our actions and support – but we know that if we are part of this solution, we are helping bring about long-term survival, not only of Orangutans but also of Tigers, Elephants, Rhinos and the local people who live in and near the forests.
The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty, promote the welfare of ALL animals EVERYWHERE, and help END animal abuse.
Please support our work by donating ANY amount, large or small. It only takes a minute and your donations make it all possible. Thank you for your support.
After completing rehabilitation at the BORA Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre in East Kalimantan, Indonesia, Bornean Orangutans Ucockwati, 18, and Mungil, 8, were deemed eligible for release.
Bornean Orangutans Ucockwati, 18, and Mungil, 8 Were Released into the Wild To ‘Revert Impending Extinction Crisis’
A pair of Orangutans, mother and daughter, were released into their natural habitat.
According to a release from The Orangutan Project, Bornean Orangutans Ucokwati, 18, and Mungil, 8, moved to the wild in the first in a series of Orangutan releases planned for 2022 by the Bornean Orangutan Rescue Alliance (BORA) — a joint initiative of the Indonesian Nature Conservation Agency (BKSD), Centre for Orangutan Protection and The Orangutan Project.
Conservationists deemed the two primates eligible for release after the animals completed their rehabilitation at the BORA Rescue & Rehabilitation Centre in East Kalimantan, Indonesia.
“Both had demonstrated advanced foraging and nest-making skills, as well as a healthy dislike for humans,” Hardi Baktiantoro, a field manager for The Orangutan Project and Founder of the Centre for Orangutan Protection, shared. “Ucokwati is particularly aggressive towards humans, no doubt due to her ill-treatment while in captivity, and this made her a prime candidate to successfully transition back into the wild.”
Before BORA, the Orangutan duo lived at the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Yogyakarta on the Indonesian Island of Java. Ucokwati moved to the centre after being rescued from an amusement park in October 2011. She gave birth to her daughter at the centre in May 2013.
“We don’t know how long Ucokwati had been held in captivity at the park,” Hardi Baktiantoro added. “As with most Orangutans that end up in such places like these, it is highly probable that she was taken from her mother as an infant and sold into the illegal pet trade.”
Ucokwati Surveying Her New Surroundings
Due to financial difficulties caused by the pandemic, the rescue centre shut down. As a result, the mother-daughter duo moved to the BORA Centre in April 2021.
Ucokwati and Mungil now live on Dalwood-Wylie Island, located in the Busang Ecosystem, one of the last remaining viable rainforest habitats for Orangutans on the island of Borneo. The location is a 10-hour trip by vehicle from the BORA Centre followed by a three-hour boat ride along the Busang River.
The area was chosen for the release so BORA’s staff can monitor the apes while the animals adjust to life in the wild. The Orangutans’ rescuers expect Ucokwati and Mungil to venture further into the Busang Ecosystem as they become increasingly independent.
Bornean Orangutans Ucockwati, 18, and Mungil, 8 Were Released into the Wild
Two other male Orangutans are set to follow in the mother-daughter duo’s footsteps and will soon be released into the Busang Ecosystem. The releases are part of a mission to ensure the future survival of critically endangered Orangutans.
“The alliance has been granted approximately 20,000 hectares within the 260,000-hectare Busang Ecosystem to undertake Orangutan rehabilitation and release for critically endangered Bornean Orangutans,” Leif Cocks, the founder of The Orangutan Project, said.
“The release of Orangutans like Ucokwati and Mungil back to the wild gives hope that we can revert the impending extinction crisis,” Cocks added. “But we cannot do it alone. We need more individuals to join us to secure and protect viable rainforest habitat before it is too late.”
What can you do to help END animal abuse!
The Mission of Protect All Wildlife is to prevent cruelty, promote the welfare of ALL animals EVERYWHERE, and help END animal abuse.
Please support our work by donating ANY amount, large or small. It only takes a minute and your donations help make our work possible. Thank you for your support.
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