PREVIEW

Chimpanzees Filmed 'Using Leaves Like Toilet Paper’. Scientists studying chimpanzees in Budongo Forest, Uganda, have observed them wiping their bum using leaves as a form of natural toilet paper. The primates were observed indulging in the human-like behaviour by Dr. Elodie Freymann of the University of Oxford. “We also documented hygiene behaviours, including the cleaning of genitals with leaves after mating and wiping the anus with leaves after defecation — practices that may help prevent infections,” she said. That’s more than some humans manage! The chimpanzees hygiene routine goes beyond keeping themselves clean after sex or going to the loo - as they also treat their own and others’ injuries. Although chimpanzees elsewhere have been observed helping other community members with medical problems, the persistent presence of this behaviour in Budongo could suggest that medical and hygiene care among chimpanzees is much more widespread than we realised. Their routines could even shed light on how our ancestors first began treating wounds and using medicines - or wiping after going to the loo.