Self treatment
March 5, 2010 by J.B. -
Chimpanzees spend a lot of time grooming injuries on themselves and others. In fact, we rely heavily on observation of their behavior towards one another to monitor their health. For example, a chimpanzee may develop a small abscess from a bite or scratch during a fight. Depending on the location of the injury, the caregivers may not notice it at first. But the chimpanzees sure do, and this will often alert us to its presence. And while we tend to be a bit overly cautious and provide oral antibiotics, the chimpanzees do a pretty good job of grooming and draining injuries to promote healing on their own. This makes sense, of course, because free-living chimpanzees often suffer injuries and do not rely on humans for treatment. But it is fascinating to watch. Missy seems to be the most adept at using tools (in this case a piece of grape vine) to groom herself.
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I love the close up photos of Missy’s hands. Their hands are fascinating to me, so thin and nimble. Thanks for the photos JB. And watching how Missy uses the grape vine is really cool. Way to go, Missy!!!
I thought the exact same thing. Their hands are so amazing. Great pics JB!!
Another use for the grape vines. Such a good item.
I found it extremely interesting that wild chimps have certain plants they eat for a tummy ache and will even use specific leaves to clean a wound and researchers find the leaves have antibiotic properties. It seems chimps are pretty smart when it comes to herbal medicines.
They never cease to amaze me….. JB, great pics and great info!
Elephants are smart in that way, too — I bet a lot of animals are. We have so much to learn from them.