14-05-2025
Watch: Chimpanzees give each other first aid
Credit: Science News/Catherine Hobatier
Chimpanzees use forest first aid to treat wounds and leaves to wipe their bottoms, scientists have found.
A study, led by a University of Oxford researcher, catalogued the apes dabbing leaves on their wounds, or applying sap and chewed up plant matter to the injuries.
They treated the wounds of other members of their group as well as their own.
The research, published in Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution, adds to a growing body of evidence on how apes take care of themselves in the wild.
Dr Elodie Freymann, of Oxford University's School of Anthropology, said: 'We humans like to fancy ourselves unique in lots of different ways. And I think for a long time, we thought that healthcare was one of those ways in which we humans are special.'
She said there was 'a whole behavioural repertoire that chimpanzees use when they're sick or injured in the wild – to treat themselves and to maintain hygiene'.
Dr Freymann added: 'Some of these include the use of plants that can be found here. The chimpanzees dab them on their wounds or chew the plants up, and then apply the chewed material to the open injury.'
Footage of the apes treating each other was included in the study, conducted in Uganda's Budongo Forest, as well as years of observations noted by field staff, researchers and visitors.
A log book dating back to the 1990s was found to include anecdotal accounts of the apes dabbing wounds, removing snares and cleaning themselves with leaves after defecating, or mating.
Credit: Dr. Elodie Freymann
Dr Freymann previously reported that chimpanzees appeared to seek out specific medicinal plants to treat their ailments.
A 2024 paper saw researchers test the plants eaten by sick or wounded chimps and found that they often had antibacterial or anti-inflammatory properties.
Meanwhile, an orangutan was recorded applying the leaves of a plant commonly used in traditional medicine to a cut on its face, seemingly to hasten healing.
Gorillas, chimpanzees and bonobos have also been recorded swallowing whole leaves from Aspilia plants to get rid of worms.
In 2022, a community of chimpanzees in Gabon was seen putting insects onto their open wounds, potentially as a form of first aid.
Chimpanzees in captivity have long been observed giving each other basic medical care, including removing splinters and cleaning each other's teeth.
Finding the same tendency in the wild means 'additional evidence for empathic capacities in our closest evolutionary relatives', researchers concluded.
They said it was still not clear how the behaviour was learnt or transmitted and 'establishing this will be an important step for understanding whether any components of non-human healthcare systems are influenced by local medicinal cultures'.
Studying ape healthcare could even lead to the discovery of medicines, scientists believe.
Dr Freymann told the BBC: 'The more we learn about chimpanzee behaviour and intelligence, the more I think we come to understand how little we as humans actually know about the natural world.
'If I were plopped down here in this forest with no food and no medicine, I doubt that I'd be able to survive very long, especially if I were injured or sick.
'But chimpanzees thrive here because they know how to access the secrets of this place, and how to find all they need to survive from their surroundings.'
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