Apps For Apes
An Orangutan Enrichment Program using iPads
Photo of Alan courtesy of Zoo Atlanta
Introduction
Orangutans are highly intelligent creatures and they require mental stimulation to keep from growing bored and depressed. Every orangutan is a unique individual with his or her own particular likes and dislikes, and freedom of choice is critical to their well-being. They like to choose everything from their afternoon snack to their daytime companions and sleeping area. What they do each day depends on how they feel, and the more choices they have, the better. Just like humans, orangutans like options.
The quality of life of orangutans living in zoos and sanctuaries is dependent on the amount and type of enrichment they receive on a daily basis. With the Apples for Orangs project, we propose to introduce Apple’s touchscreen technology to orangutans in order to provide them with unlimited enrichment opportunities.
The Apple iPad is a perfect device for orangutans, as their innate ability to work with touchscreen technology has already been demonstrated in facilities such as Zoo Atlanta and the Smithsonian National Zoo. With proper guidance, orangutans will be able to use their devices just like humans do-- to spend their time doing things that they enjoy. They will have access to music, games, movies, cartoons, art, painting, drawing, photos and videos. Among other things, they will be able to see photos and videos of other orangutans.
Apples for Orangs will be especially beneficial for orangutans living in zoos in Northern climates. During the long winter season, these orangutans spend long stretches of time in their indoor holding areas. The devices will allow them to have a virtually unlimited supply of mental stimulation literally at their fingertips.
The device will also be incredibly useful for educating orangutans in rehabilitation programs. It can show images of foods they can eat as well as those to avoid. They will be able to learn about predators and learn how to climb and navigate their way around the treetops by watching video footage of orangutans in action.
Implementation
Orangutan Outreach will coordinate Apples for Orangs, local zookeepers will handle the actual implementation of the devices and the orangutans will reap the benefits. In order to begin the project, we will need a minimum of 3 - 5 devices so that the orangutans, developers and keepers can begin testing.
We hope to be able to use Apple iPads straight out of the box, but we would like to consult with Apple's engineers to ascertain the strength and durability of the devices and, if necessary, work together to make them as 'orangutan-proof' as possible. To this end, we may want to consider building a larger, more durable piece of equipment for the devices to sit in. We would also like to consult with Apple's developers to look into potentially modifying the default interface of the device and customizing it for the orangutans.
Orangutan keepers and caretakers at the following zoos and sanctuaries have already expressed interest in participating in Apples for Orangs: Zoo Atlanta, Milwaukee County Zoo, Toronto Zoo, Phoenix Zoo, LA Zoo and the Center for Great Apes in Florida. We are confident that all orangutan facilities will want to eventually join the project-- especially if there are little or no costs involved.
Apples for Orangs will be global in scope-- spreading to zoos around the world and ultimately to Indonesia and Malaysia, where hundreds of orangutans are currently living in sanctuaries and care centers. Many of these orangutans have no hope of ever returning to the wild due to illness or prolonged human contact. They will live out the rest of their lives under our care—and we have a moral obligation to provide them with enrichment and a good quality of life.
“Apps for Apes”
The key to keeping the devices stimulating for the orangutans will be the wide array of available apps. Keepers and caregivers will be able to add any apps to the devices they think the orangutans will understand and enjoy, and they will be able to share ideas, exchange information and recommend apps to one another.
The collective creativity of the app development community is boundless and developers will be able to work alone, or with keepers and researchers to create apps specifically for orangutans. These will include, for starters, games dealing with identification, recognition, memory, music and color.
Zoos today are becoming increasingly tech-savvy, with interactive kiosks and video displays stationed at orangutan enclosures to help educate visitors on the intellectual prowess of orangutans as well as the need to take action to protect them in the wild to prevent them from being pushed to a premature extinction.
Footage of the orangutans using their iPads will be prominently displayed on monitors for the public to see. Zoo visitors will be able to download and use the exact same apps that the orangutans are using-- and even compete with the orangutans in the same games using their own iPads, iPhones and iTouches.
We would like to have a special section of the App Store called "Apps for Apes", with proceeds going to Orangutan Outreach, a registered US non-profit charity. With the proper marketing and publicity, interest in the Apps for Apes will not just be limited to zoo visitors, but will draw the attention of the general public.
Publicity
While Apples for Orangs can be implemented quietly, we would prefer to work with Apple's marketing team to help raise awareness of the project. Widespread publicity will help us achieve our larger organizational goals: raising public awareness of the crisis facing orangutans in the wild due to deforestation, and attracting financial support for our orangutan conservation projects. Apple can be a huge help in this department. We expect footage to go viral immediately, creating ever-increasing levels of public interest, and ultimately generating sympathy and compassion for orangutans.
We believe that Apple will have much to gain by supporting our project and working with us to promote it. By helping to bring attention to the incredible intelligence and capability of orangutans, Apple will be helping protect a critically endangered species. It will also be helping to raise awareness of the effects of global deforestation, a problem that affects us all—not just orangutans. By encouraging the development community to work on apps for orangutans, Apple will be taking the concept of "Think Different" to a whole new level.
We expect groundbreaking scientific research to come out of this project and have already spoken to experts in orangutan cognition who are eager to participate. By helping us promote the project, Apple will be mentioned in all academic papers and articles related to the project.
Looking ahead: Primate Playdate
Once the touchscreen devices have been introduced to the orangutans and the requisite technology is available, we will expand our project to allow for greater interaction among orangutans. By using wireless Internet connections and free video technology such as Skype, orangutans-- with close guidance from their keepers-- will be able to communicate with each other over long distance. Keepers will be able to pre-arrange specific times in which their orangutans will have access to the devices. Optimally, a large enough monitor will be available to allow for easy accessibility. We expect Primate Playdate to be especially popular among mothers with babies and young.
Primate Playdates will allow some orangutans to see and interact with others of their own species for the first time in their lives. We are planning to eventually incorporate the devices into rescue and rehabilitation centers in Indonesia in order to allow orangutans in zoos to communicate with their semi-wild cousins.
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This project is a work in process. Please contact us with any questions, comments or offers of support!
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