Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Apes with iPads
Twelve zoos in the United States are now participating in a program called "Apps for Apes," in which orangutans are given iPads to play with. The orangutans choose the apps that they want to use; some like musical apps while others prefer drawing or painting apps. The zookeekeepers and orangutan advocates hope that the devices will not only enrich the animals' lives by allowing them to express their creativity, but that by showing zoo visitors how similar humans and apes are, it might encourage people to want to help save them. In addition, advocates hope to use the iPads to better communicate with the captive orangutan s, and to allow orangutan s to communicate with other orangutan s around the world, via apps like FaceTime.