Researchers tracking a wild community in Kibale National Park have filmed chimpanzees catching flying insects and pressing them directly onto open wounds – sometimes their own, once on another individual – raising fresh questions about animal medicine, empathy and the evolutionary roots of health care.
Chimpanzees caught on camera using insects as “first aid”
The behaviour first appeared by chance. Primatologists were following injured chimpanzees to document how they cope with pain and infection in the wild. On five separate occasions, they saw something strikingly similar unfold.
A chimpanzee snatches a small flying insect, immobilises it between lips or fingers, then carefully presses it onto a fresh, open wound.
In some cases, the ape briefly holds the insect in its mouth, then reapplies it to the same wound several times before discarding it. Other group members sometimes stare intently, as if taking mental notes.
Most of these “treatments” were self-directed. The chimp with the injury treated its own body. But once, a young female caught an insect and applied it to the wound of her brother. That single act hints at something bigger: active care for another’s physical state, not just grooming or social bonding.
A behaviour that looks deliberate, not random
Researchers describe the action as structured and goal-directed. The sequence is consistent: catch insect, immobilise, place on wound, repeat. This pattern makes it unlikely the behaviour is purely accidental play.
Similar insect applications had previously been documented in another chimpanzee population in Gabon. The near-match between the two sites suggests this might not be a one-off quirk, but a wider, underreported habit in the species.
The Ugandan observations strengthen the idea that chimpanzees do not passively endure injuries; they experiment with the tools their environment offers.
Why insects? The medical mystery
Chimpanzees already have a known “pharmacy” in the forest. They swallow rough, fibrous leaves that help expel gut parasites. They chew bitter plant stems thought to have antiparasitic or anti-inflammatory effects. These behaviours have been studied for decades.
Insects are a new puzzle. There is no firm evidence yet that the species being used actually speed wound healing or fight infection. Still, biologists know many insects produce powerful chemical compounds, including antimicrobials.
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- Some flies secrete substances that inhibit bacterial growth.
- Bee venoms and secretions can have anti-inflammatory effects.
- Beetles and other insects produce defensive chemicals that kill microbes.
Human traditional medicine has long made use of insects for skin conditions, swelling and chronic wounds. The fact that chimpanzees now appear to be placing insects directly on injuries makes a medical benefit plausible, but unproven.
| Question | What researchers currently know |
|---|---|
| Do the insects help wounds heal? | Unknown; chemical analyses and controlled studies are still needed. |
| Are specific insect species chosen? | Likely, but the species used in Kibale have not yet been fully identified. |
| Is the behaviour taught or invented individually? | Open question; both cultural learning and independent innovation are possible. |
| Is this common across chimp groups? | Observed in Uganda and Gabon; true distribution remains unclear. |
Chimp care and the roots of empathy
Chimpanzees are highly social. They groom, share food, and form alliances during conflicts. These behaviours maintain friendships and reduce tension, but they do not always directly alter another’s health.
Pressing an insect onto a sibling’s open wound looks like a step beyond social bonding, towards targeted care for another’s physical body.
Primatologists use the term “prosocial behaviour” for actions that benefit someone else rather than the actor. Helping another individual to heal, especially when there is no obvious reward, sits squarely in that territory.
Previous work in the same community had already shown chimpanzees dabbing leaves onto the wounds of unrelated individuals. The new insect-based care widens that picture. It hints that these apes recognise injuries as a specific problem and sometimes act to improve them.
How does such behaviour start and spread?
One major question is where this idea comes from. Do some chimpanzees experiment when they are hurt, find that a certain action brings relief, and then repeat it? Or do young apes watch and copy older ones, building a kind of forest “medical culture” over time?
Chimpanzees are capable of social learning. They imitate feeding techniques, tool use and new foraging tricks. If insect application does have a health benefit, individuals that copy it might heal faster, keeping them active, competitive and fertile for longer. Over generations, that could favour the spread of the behaviour in the group.
From field notes to lab tests
The next steps will be painstaking. Researchers need to identify the insect species involved, collect samples without disturbing the chimpanzees, and analyse their chemical make-up. They will look for substances that are antibacterial, antifungal or anti-inflammatory.
At the same time, long-term observations will track how often wounds that receive insect “treatment” become infected compared with untreated wounds. The aim is not to run clinical trials on wild animals, but to build a detailed picture of real-life outcomes.
If evidence shows these insects genuinely protect or heal, chimpanzee behaviour will offer an organic example of animal medicine arising outside human culture.
Why this matters for conservation and human health
These findings add another argument for protecting forests like Kibale. The chimpanzees’ survival depends on intact habitats. Those same habitats support the insects and plants that may keep the apes healthy.
By losing forests, humans may also be losing chemical compounds with potential medical value for our own species. Many modern drugs, including antibiotics and cancer treatments, started life as natural molecules in wild organisms.
Key concepts: animal self-medication and prosocial care
Two scientific ideas sit behind this research. The first is “self-medication”: when animals use foods, plants or other materials in ways that influence their health. This has been documented in birds, bears, monkeys and even caterpillars that seek out toxic plants to kill parasites.
The second is prosocial care. That covers behaviours where an individual helps another, sometimes at a cost to itself. In humans this ranges from patching up a child’s scraped knee to running a hospital. In chimpanzees, examples include supporting allies in fights, rescuing infants from danger, and now, potentially, treating wounds with insects.
Seeing both ideas in play at once – an apparent medicinal tool used not only on oneself but on another – gives researchers a rare chance to connect animal behaviour to the deep history of human caregiving.
What this could mean for everyday readers
For people used to thinking of animals as driven only by instinct, these observations can shift perspective. The idea that a chimp might calmly catch a flying insect, test it on its own injury, and then later use a similar technique on a relative, brings them emotionally closer.
It also suggests that some aspects of human behaviour in hospitals, homes and emergency rooms today may rest on very old foundations. The urge to do something about another’s pain, even with limited tools, might not be uniquely human at all.
Originally posted 2026-02-11 21:37:35.