The self-medicating chimpanzees

If you’re sick or you have hurt yourself, you might see a doctor who could give you medicine to make you feel better. Wild animals can’t go to their GP but a new study suggests chimpanzees are using plants to treat themselves. Scientists already knew that chimps eat plants that have the same properties as some medicines, but they weren’t sure if this was by accident. To investigate, a team monitored the behaviour and health of 51 chimpanzees in Budongo rainforest in Uganda over four years. The scientists collected samples of 13 tree and herb species. They looked for plants they had seen sick or injured chimps eating – even though they weren’t part of the apes’ normal diet – as well as plants that other studies had suggested chimps…

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The Week Junior (UK) (Digital) - 1 Issue, 447

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