A new study reveals how chimpanzees use plants to treat their own wounds and provide care to others of their species.
A new report published Tuesday in the journal Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution provides new insights into the origins of human medicine and how primates — including chimpanzees, orangutans and gorillas — use natural resources as medicine to maintain their health.
“To understand the cognitive and social basis of human health behavior, it is important to study their evolutionary ancestors among our closest living relatives,” the report begins.
It is known that chimpanzees and their close relatives, the bonobos, are the closest genetic rivals of humans.
A team of scientists from Oxford University (UK) observed wild chimpanzees in the Budongo forest in Uganda for eight months. They used medicinal plants to treat their wounds and also helped each other.
According to lead researcher Dr Elodie Freimann, they videotaped the chimpanzees' behaviour and recorded them helping others, including rescuing one from traps left by humans, which “further confirms that wild chimpanzees have the capacity for empathy.”
The study builds on last year's discovery that chimpanzees seek out and consume certain plants to treat a variety of ailments.
Meanwhile, Freymann spent two intense four-month periods in the Budongo forest, observing wild chimpanzees who showed comfort in interacting with people.
“There are days when you just sit at the foot of a tree while they eat for eight hours, and there are days when you have to wade through vines, cross rivers and get stuck in mud holes,” she added, noting that the day is “completely determined by what the group wants to do.”
She mentioned a journal article dating back to the 1990s that described similar observations that had not been taken into account in previous studies.
“One of the things that people strive for is that we are a completely unique species in that we have the capacity for altruism and empathy,” said Freimann, a postdoctoral researcher.
Animals help each other, she said, and can “recognize those who need help and then meet those specific needs.”
Her journal records 41 cases of helping injured chimps, 34 cases of self-help, and seven cases of helping other chimps. The study also mentions at least four cases of helping other unrelated chimps.
“The study's results suggest that some types of prosocial behavior toward non-relatives may be more common than previously thought,” Isabelle Laumer, a primatologist and cognitive biologist at the Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior in Germany, told NBC.
“A more thorough investigation is needed,” added Laumer, who was not involved in the study.
Freimann stressed that if scientists want to make the most of “these amazing medical resources,” observing and learning from animals is “a very effective way to do that, if done ethically and responsibly.”
Sourse: www.upi.com
