Apps for Apes seeks iPads for Toronto Zoo
Orangutans can use the devices to connect with primates in other zoos
CBC News
Posted: Feb 29, 2012 1:49 PM ET
Last Updated: Feb 29, 2012 4:14 PM ET
A female orangutan who resides at the Toronto Zoo could use a donated iPad to connect with her female offspring who was shipped away to Memphis two years ago.
That’s according to Richard Zimmerman, founder of Apps for Apes, a program focused on getting a few of Apple's tablet computers donated for use at the zoo.
He said the program has been a hit at the Milwaukee Zoo, where orangutans are going ape over iPad apps for painting, listening to music, and even video chatting using programs such as Skype and Facetime.
“An orangutan really needs a lot of enrichment,” he said. “They are very intelligent creatures. And what we’re hoping with the Toronto Zoo is that we’ll be able to get them some iPads so they can have some enrichment sessions, and paint and play games and have fun.”
But Zimmerman, who was interviewed Tuesday on CBC Radio’s Here and Now, said the devices will be used for more than just primate play.
Hope for online reunion
The Toronto Zoo has an older female orangutan named Puppe whose female offspring Jahe was sent to a zoo in Memphis, Tenn., two years ago. Jahe has since had a baby of her own that Puppe hasn’t seen. Zimmerman is hoping the iPad can be used to connect them via video chat.
“We want to be able to have them Skype one another so they can see one another. We would love [Jahe] to be able to go online and show her baby to her mother.”
Zimmerman’s group also raises funds for orphaned orangutans and works to raise awareness about issues surrounding orangutans in captivity. He said orangutans are highly intelligent and can become bored during the winter months, a problem the iPad can alleviate.
“What we’re hoping with the Toronto Zoo is that we’ll be able to get them some iPads so they can have some enrichment sessions, and paint and play games and have fun,” he said.
He said the iPads can be put into a special casing so they can’t be damaged over-enthusiastic orangutans. In Milwaukee, the orangutans operate the devices through a fence to prevent damage.
Zimmerman said the next step is for someone to step forward and donate iPads for use at the Toronto Zoo. He’s hoping corporate donors, Apple in particular, might step up.
"We're hoping to really show them that their tool can be something that helps save the orangutans in the wild while entertaining and providing enrichment for orangutans in zoos."
Share Tools
Top News Headlines
- McAfee hospitalized in Guatemala after asylum denied
- Software company founder John McAfee is hospitalized after being denied political asylum in Guatemala and his lawyers say they were making a last-ditch effort to keep him from being flown back to Belize for questioning about the killing of a fellow American expatriate. more »
- Pregnant Kate leaves hospital feeling 'much better'
- Prince William's wife Kate, the Duchess of Cambridge, was discharged from a London hospital after being treated for acute morning sickness related to her recently announced pregnancy, and has arrived at Kensington Palace for a period of rest. more »
- No plans to end restrictions on prohibited guns, Harper says
- Prime Minister Stephen Harper is distancing his government from recommendations made by its federal firearms advisory committee to loosen restrictions on guns, saying he has no plans to eliminate the prohibited weapons list. more »
- Accused in NYC subway death says man grabbed him first
- A homeless man charged after a Queens, N.Y., resident was pushed in front of an oncoming subway train and killed as onlookers watched is blaming the man who died for the incident linked to a haunting newspaper photo that gained international attention. more »
Latest Technology & Science News Headlines
- Cigarette butts help birds keep nests free of pests
- Birds in cities are insulating their nests with cigarette butts, a practice that might help smoke out parasitic mites thanks to the nicotine found inside the discarded material, researchers in Mexico have found. more »
- Extroverted gorillas live longer, study suggests
- An international team of researchers has discovered that extroverted gorillas tend to live longer, suggesting that character can affect life span. more »
- $1.5B trips to the moon offered by ex-NASA execs
- A team of former NASA executives is launching a private venture to send people to the moon for a price that is definitely out of this world. more »
- Genetically modified mosquitoes considered in Florida
- Mosquito control officials in the Florida Keys are waiting for the federal government to sign off on an experiment that would release hundreds of thousands of genetically modified mosquitoes to reduce the risk of dengue fever in the tourist town of Key West. more »
Bob McDonald's Blog
- Polar ice lost, supertanker wins Nov. 30, 2012 3:46 PM An international study released this week has provided the best picture yet of the 344 billion tons of ice that are lost from Antarctica and Greenland each year due to climate change. Ironically, at the same time, a supertanker carrying liquid natural gas, one of the fossil fuels responsible for changing the climate, is making the first winter crossing of the Arctic Ocean on a shortcut between Europe and Japan.
Quirks & Quarks
- December 8: Dawn of the Dinosaurs Dec. 5, 2012 2:55 PM Scientists announced this week that they had discovered the oldest dinosaur fossil ever. It may represent the very beginning of the dinosaur family tree, and could give us clues about the origins of one of Earth's most successful creatures.
Latest Features
- Pregnant Kate leaves hospital feeling 'much better'
- Quebec mom charged with murder in children's deaths
- Tory House leader apologizes for 'inappropriate word'
- Software guru McAfee arrested in Guatemala
- McAfee hospitalized in Guatemala after asylum denied
- Surrey joggers hit-and-run caught on camera
- Tempers flare in Commons over omnibus budget bill
- 'End of world coming' Australian PM spoofs
- Egypt's Morsi calls for national dialogue with opposition