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Chimpanzees are suspected of coming up with their own form of self-medication.
These observations have contributed to the ongoing conversation among scientists about whether chimpanzees and other animals have empathy and the drive to help others selflessly.
Simone Pika, a biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany and a co-author of the study, discussed the significance behind the sightings of chimps tending to one another.
“It takes a lot of trust to put an insect in an open wound,” said Pika. “They seem to understand that if you do this to me with this insect, then my wound gets better. It’s amazing,“The Guardianreported Pika said per the AFP.
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According to the study’s findings, from November 2019 to February 2021, researchers witnessed 76 open wounds on 22 chimpanzees.
The insects used have not been identified but appear to be winged flying insects.
Findings from the research also show chimpanzees were observed applying or moving an insect to both their own wounds and the wounds of other apes.
“Self-medication — where individuals use plant parts or non-nutritional substances to combat pathogens or parasites — has been observed across multiple animal species including insects, reptiles, birds, and mammals,” said Pika in a statement perCNN.
source: people.com
