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Orangutans across the world may soon join the ranks of millions of humans as
proud owners of new iPads. As strange as that may sound, a conservation group
is testing its "Apps for Apes" program, allowing orangutans to communicate with
each other remotely via the iPad's video chat technology.
Orangutan Outreach founder Richard Zimmerman has already donated iPads to zoos
in Milwaukee, Houston, Atlanta and Florida, and will soon send iPads to the
Memphis Zoo, the Center for Great Apes in Florida and to the Toronto Zoo.
Orangutans are considered to be amongst the most intelligent of primates,
making them a good case study for the interactive technology.
"It's not a gimmick," Zimmerman told Yahoo News in a phone interview Tuesday.
"If they don't want to do it, they won't. There are actual measurable
benefits."
Zimmerman said that orangutans in zoos and other primate facilities usually
receive all the food and love they need. However, during winter months they are
forced to spend long periods of time indoors, which is counter to their natural
habitat. And living indoors for extended periods of time can result in boredom
and stunt social growth among other primates.
"They need stimulation, especially indoors," Zimmerman tells Yahoo News. "The
zoo keepers can see the benefit from this sort of enrichment. We're doing this
as enrichment as opposed to research. But researchers are getting involved,
that's just not our jurisdiction."
Scientists and layman alike have long speculated on ways to better indoctrinate
primates and other animals with human technology. Dolphins have already
demonstrated an ability to interact with iPad technology with researchers using
it as a language interaction device between dolphins and humans. There are even
several iPad games made specifically for cats.
But even more interesting possibilities present themselves once a number of
zoos have their orangutans acclimated to using the iPads. Zimmerman said he
hopes they will be able to use Skype or the iPad's FaceTime feature to
communicate remotely with orangutans at other zoos during "play dates."
Zimmerman said he recently visited Jahe, an orangutan at the Memphis Zoo who
used to live at the Toronto Zoo. When Zimmerman showed Jahe a photo on his
iPhone of some of her relatives still living in Toronto, she appeared to
recognize them.
"Given an opportunity to demonstrate that intelligence, it's pretty amazing,"
Zimmerman tells Yahoo News.
The biggest obstacle for now is coming up with the funding to purchase more
iPads. Orangutan Outreach refuses to use its funds on the tablets, saying its
priorities must be toward conservation and helping to rescue orangutans that
are victims of violence in the wild.
Zimmerman said so far he has been unable to reach Apple directly about any
possible donations for the project. "I could get them to the zoos tomorrow,"
Zimmerman said, if Apple were to make such a donation. "Our Plan B has been to
hopefully get their attention through this effort."
If you'd like to make a direct donation to Orangutan Outreach, you can do so
here.