Orangutan learns how to take medicine by herself
An orangutan at Tama Zoological Park has surprised her minders by willingly taking her medicine after ripping open the sachet herself–just like a human would.
“It’s rather rare for an animal to take medicine on its own,” said Hidetoshi Kurotori, who looks after the orangutan, named Gypsy, at the zoo in Hino, Tokyo.
Gypsy, which is thought to be 51 years old, quite elderly for an orangutan, became sick during the rainy season and was given medicine similar to that for human use. She had taken the medicine before, after a zoo employee tore open the sachet and poured the powdered medicine into her mouth.
On June 27, Kurotori accidentally dropped the medicine inside Gypsy’s cage. When he collected the sachet the next morning, it had been torn open and the contents had disappeared.
Kurotori, 55, handed Gypsy another sachet and then watched in disbelief as she skillfully ripped it open and tipped the medicine into her mouth. Since then, Gypsy has been quite happy to repeat this feat.
The medicine is flavored to suit orangutans’ fondness for sweet foods, but Kurotori is unsure if the orangutan knows the powder is a medicine.
“Perhaps she just prefers to take it when she wants, not when somebody tries to force her to,” he said.
Gypsy also wipes her cage with a cloth, and pours water into a plastic bottle before drinking it.
(Aug. 9, 2007)
