In the coastal National park of Loango – Gabon, over the course of a study of a group of chimpanzees, 19 times chimpanzees were seen catching a spefic insect out of the air, chewing it, and then inserting it into injuries on wounded fellow members of the group.
A number of insects seem to have a positive impacts when applied to skin, and it is thought that these insects have an anti inflammatory effect, allowing the injury to heal faster.
The injuries are almost always as a result of fights between different groups of chimpanzees.