By DAVE LEE - BBC NEWS
Added: Fri, 30 Dec 2011 12:04:05 UTC

MJ, an orangutan at Milwaukee County Zoo, plays with the tablet computer. Footage courtesy of Orangutan Outreach

Orangutans at a Milwaukee zoo could soon be video-calling their primate friends via tablet computers.

The hairy tech fans have been playing with iPads since they were first introduced to them in May.

Conservationist Richard Zimmerman said the next step would be to provide wi-fi access - meaning the apes could watch orangutans in other zoos.

He hopes the experiment will raise awareness and funds to support the wild animals facing extinction.

Mr Zimmerman, from the US-based charity Orangutan Outreach, said he had wanted to give the device to the animals ever since it was launched back in January 2010.

"The original idea came literally when Steve Jobs gave his opening presentation introducing the iPad," he said.

"Independently, one of our supporters in Milwaukee was at the zoo showing the orangutan his iPad, and they were fascinated by it. We started to put things together."

Basic curiosity
They began introducing simple apps, such as drawing game Doodle Buddy, to orangutans at Milwaukee County Zoo.

Mr Zimmerman said the idea was to provide a "bit of fun" for the animals, who only get to use the devices for two short periods every week.

The zoo keepers want to build reinforced tablets so they can let the orangutans play without human help

"What we really want to do is to allow the orangutans to really play - to do paintings, to watch videos, to do almost as a human child would do with basic curiosity."

The animals have, Mr Zimmerman said, been captivated by watching television on the devices, particularly when it featured other orangutans, and even more so when they saw faces they recognised.

"They love moving images. They love bright things. They like to be entertained!

"They love new things, so one of the first things we're going to do to incorporate that is make sure the facilities have wi-fi capabilities so that the orangutans can actually have access to unlimited information - of course with the keepers guiding them."

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TAGGED: BEHAVIOR, TECHNOLOGY