Deep within an Indonesian rainforest, a team of research scientists recorded something that had never been captured before: a Sumatran orangutan they’d affectionately named Rakus carefully treating a nasty gash on his cheek with a plant proven to have antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, anti-fungal, and antioxidant properties.

An orangutan appeared to treat a wound with medicine from a tropical plant— the latest example of how some animals attempt to soothe their own ills with remedies found in the wild, scientists reported Thursday.