Hommam Al Nassim 
A Sumatran orangutan used a medicinal plant as a natural dressing to treat a severe wound on his face, in a rare sight spotted in the wild.
The incident occurred last June and was documented by the magazine “Scientific Reports” and quoted a primate scientist at the German “Max Planck” Institute, Isabelle Lomer, that the monkey known as Racos, 30, may have been injured during a fight with another male of his kind.
Not only did Racos chew the leaves of the Arsha tree, known locally as Akar Koning, but he used juice extracted from it to cover his wound and put the chewed pulp on the wound with his fingers, suggesting a conscious use of the plant as a natural remedy.
This observation is a rare example of primates’ ability to use tools and alternative medicine in the wild, enhancing our understanding of their complex and evolving behaviors.