Program at Toronto Zoo would let apes use tablets for art and socializing
Orangutans at the Toronto Zoo may soon be monkeying around with Apple's iconic iPad as a way to stimulate them and foster "primate play dates."
Apps for Apes, the brainchild of Richard Zimmerman and Orangutan Outreach, aims to give the primates a creative outlet to create art or music on, and maybe even to Skype with their relatives in zoos across North America.
"One of our big plans is to have the zoos Wi-Fi-ed, and then orangutans will be able to see each other in different facilities," said Zimmerman. "We're calling these 'primate play dates.'"
A similar program was started last year at the Milwaukee zoo.
"Around Christmas, our gorilla keeper was on Facebook and saw a joke about a gorilla using iPads," said Jan Rafert, curator of primates and small mammals at the Milwaukee zoo. "She then put the word out that she wished she had some for our gorillas. A volunteer saw that and donated one."
The apes use the iPad in a remarkably similar way to humans.
"We have three orangutans, an adult male, an adult female and a youngster," said Rafert. "The male lives separately from the other two, but the mother and child enjoy watching video of the male. They recognize him and they recognize themselves."
The program is now being expanded to include other zoos.
The program could provide stimulation during long northern winters, when orangutans are often kept locked indoors, proponents hope.
"We want to make sure that the orangutans get more enrichment," said Zimmerman. "This is strictly for those orangutans born in captivity . . . that can benefit mentally from this sort of activity."
The idea for the program came to Zimmerman the moment he saw the iPad.
"Orangutans have plenty of experience in zoos and research facilities using touch screens and using computers and this type of device would allow an infinite number of apps to be available," Zimmerman said.
Orangutans at the Toronto Zoo may soon be monkeying around with Apple's iconic iPad as a way to stimulate them and foster "primate play dates."
Apps for Apes, the brainchild of Richard Zimmerman and Orangutan Outreach, aims to give the primates a creative outlet to create art or music on, and maybe even to Skype with their relatives in zoos across North America.
"One of our big plans is to have the zoos Wi-Fi-ed, and then orangutans will be able to see each other in different facilities," said Zimmerman. "We're calling these 'primate play dates.'"
A similar program was started last year at the Milwaukee zoo.
"Around Christmas, our gorilla keeper was on Facebook and saw a joke about a gorilla using iPads," said Jan Rafert, curator of primates and small mammals at the Milwaukee zoo. "She then put the word out that she wished she had some for our gorillas. A volunteer saw that and donated one."
The apes use the iPad in a remarkably similar way to humans.
"We have three orangutans, an adult male, an adult female and a youngster," said Rafert. "The male lives separately from the other two, but the mother and child enjoy watching video of the male. They recognize him and they recognize themselves."
The program is now being expanded to include other zoos.
The program could provide stimulation during long northern winters, when orangutans are often kept locked indoors, proponents hope.
"We want to make sure that the orangutans get more enrichment," said Zimmerman. "This is strictly for those orangutans born in captivity . . . that can benefit mentally from this sort of activity."
The idea for the program came to Zimmerman the moment he saw the iPad.
"Orangutans have plenty of experience in zoos and research facilities using touch screens and using computers and this type of device would allow an infinite number of apps to be available," Zimmerman said.
Continue reading (Incl. Pic) at: iPads for orangutans
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1 comment:
Nice post!
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