Orangutans monkey around with iPads at zoo

An orangutan messes around with an iPad.

(Credit: YouTube/Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET)

Apple's iPad is proving to be popular among a different, and hairier, type of consumer.

The Smithsonian's National Zoo recently kicked off Apps for Apes, a program that lets orangutans use the iPad as a way to stimulate their lives.

Offered through Orangutan Outreach, Apps for Apes has already been successful at 12 other zoos around the world. As described by the group, the program has three goals:

• Provide stimulating enrichment and immediate gratification for the orangutans using iPads.


• Raise awareness among zoo visitors of the critical need to protect orangutans in the wild.


• Promote the conservation efforts of Orangutan Outreach.

The group's Web site notes that "orangutans are highly intelligent creatures that require mental stimulation to keep from growing bored and depressed."

The National Zoo offers more than 10 iPad apps that the orangutans can use, including musical instruments, drawing programs, and even cognitive games, according to an article published by the zoo yesterday. As a few examples, one orangutan plays the drums on the tablet, another likes to tickle the i... [Read more]