With insects out, chimpanzees have been observed treating the wounds of others
Researchers following a group of apes in Gabon National Park have found that they catch insects, crush them and then put them on their own or others' wounds in a sort of treatment.
Research is important for discussing the ability of animals to empathize with the suffering of others
Guy Elster
08/02/2022
Tuesday, 08 February 2022, 14:17
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In the video: Chimpanzees in the Gabon Nature Reserve documented treating each other's wounds with the help of insects (Photo: Alessandra Mascaro / Ozouga CP)
Chimpanzees in the Gabon Nature Reserve have been documented treating each other's wounds with the help of insects.
The study, published yesterday (Monday) in the journal Current Biology, is an important contribution to the ongoing scientific debate about the ability of chimpanzees - and animals in general - to help with other details.
The study began in 2019, when a chimpanzee named Susie was observed examining a wound in her eldest son's foot.
Suddenly she caught an insect in the air, put it in her mouth, apparently to crush it, and finally put it on her son's wound.
After removing the insect from the wound, she put it in the same spot two more times.
After this observation in Luango National Park, the researchers saw a similar spectacle among chimpanzees who treated themselves at least 19 more times and up to two cases where injured chimpanzees were treated by other chimpanzees in the same method.
The study was conducted among a group of 45 endangered Central African subspecies chimpanzees for 15 months.
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Researchers are still trying to find out which insects they used.
Chimpanzees take care of each other (Photo: Official Website, Alessandra Mascaro / Ozouga CP)
The researchers said the chimpanzees' injuries, which were sometimes several inches wide, could be the result of clashes between members of the same group or with a rival group.
The chimpanzees, according to researchers, seemed satisfied with the treatment.
"It takes a lot of confidence to put an insect in an open wound," explained Simon Pique, a biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany and one of the study's authors.
"They seem to understand that if you do this to them with this insect, then their wound will get better. It's amazing," she told AFP.
The researchers were unable to identify the insect used by the chimpanzees, but they believe they are flying insects given the agility with which they were captured.
Insects have a variety of medicinal uses, and researchers will continue to try and discover the type of insect.
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