Chimpanzees Apply Insects to Wounds, a Potential Case of Medication?

A research team from Osnabrück University (Germany) and the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project has, for the first time, observed chimpanzees applying insects to their own wounds and the wounds of conspecifics. The new findings were published online on February 7, 2022 under the title "Application of Insects to Wounds of Self and Others in Chimpanzees in the Wild" in Current Biology. Chimpanzees are found across equatorial Africa including the Loango National Park in Gabon which has been home to the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project, led by Dr. Tobias Deschner (Primatologist) and Prof. Dr. Simone Pika (Cognitive biologist) at Osnabrück University. In Loango, the researchers investigate the behaviour of a community of about 45 chimpanzees with a special focus on their social relationships, interactions and disputes with other groups, their hunting behavior, tool use, and their cognitive and communicative skills.

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