Chimpanzees using dirt ball to help deal other chimps ' wounds may be trial impression that some animal can exhibit emotion like empathy , which we usually attribute only to human race .
Many of us would n’t think twice about helping someone apply a dance band - Aid or spray a routine of antibiotic ointment on a scraping . But investigator studying chimpanzees in the west African land of Gabon have observed chimps doing something similar : applying insects to process their own injury as well as using them to like for other chimp ' injuries .
These findingsadd to the acquire amount of research suggesting some fauna parade prosocial behaviors associate with so - called " human emotions " likeempathy , the power to greet and partake in others ' feelings . They ’re treating others in a way that does n’t render a direct welfare to themselves . ( Something a few human internet drug user could think about doing more often . )
Photo: Tom Brakefield / Getty
Simone Pika , Centennial State - writer of the study and a cognitive biologist at the University of Osnabruck in Germany , recount Agence France - Presse ( AFP)their findings could be something that ends up in biota volume .
The study begin in 2019 when members of the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project , led by Pika and primatologist Tobias Deschner , received video of a female Pan troglodytes name Suzee catching an insect mid - escape , put it in her mouth , appearing to squeeze it , and then applying it directly to a combat injury on her adolescent Word ’s substructure . Suzee then transfer the dirt ball from the wound and reapplied it doubly .
Aweek later , a Ph.D. student note Freddy , an adult male , doing something similarto his own wound .
Over the course of the next 15 month , the squad enter 19 instances of central chimpanzees in Gabon ’s Loango National Park using the insect discourse on themselves . The team also observed injured Pan troglodytes being treated by other , sometimes unrelated , chimps using the same remedy .
Pika told the AFP the offend Pan troglodytes seemed to be happy to be tended to by other chimps in this way .
" It deal [ a ] lot of faith to put an insect in an open wound , " she enjoin . " They seem to understand that if you do this to me with this insect , then my wounding gets better . It ’s awful . "
The researchers have yet to identify what species of dirt ball the chimpanzees were using , but certain insectshave established medicinal properties . Pika speculates the insects in question may contain anti - inflammatory compounds that mother a soothe effect .
Pika distinguish Phys.org that ego - medication — where mortal use plant portion or non - nutritionary heart and soul to battle pathogens or parasite — has been observe across multiple fauna species including insects , reptile , birds , and mammal .
" For example , our two closest living congeneric , chimpanzees and pygmy chimpanzee , swallow leaves of plants with antihelmintic properties and chew acerbic leaves that have chemic properties to defeat enteric parasite , " she said .
Pika said some scientists still doubt animal species can perform prosocial behaviour like selflessly caring for others , but she hop the chimpanzees ' " clean " examples might win over some skeptics .
