Apps for Apes': Wisconsin Zoo Starts Movement to Donate Tablets to...Orangutans

It appears that humans are not the only ones that enjoy playing around on their iPads. Orangutans like it too. So much so, that there is now a movement to donate used tablets for the apes to use.

The LA Times blog reports that "Apps for Apes" started at the Milwaukee County Zoo after one donated iPad became a popular gadget among the orangutan community  -- zookeepers tried with gorillas who were not fans and were "more stoic."

The Times reports that the orangutans' keeper Trish Khan lets them play with the device about two times per week but they don't get to hold it because they could crack it with their strength:

"We show them the iPad, and read them stories or let them have different apps," said Jan Rafert, curator of primates and small mammals at the zoo. "We don't let them hold them, but they can do some of the paint apps by sticking their fingers through the mesh."

Here Khan explains the animals' interactions with the iPads:

Watch two orangutans -- MJ and Mahal -- play with the device:

The Times reports that Orangutan Outreach is working with Apps for Apes to try and get the iPads to more zoos. After more zoos are equipped with iPads the orangutans will have "play dates" where they can see each other on the devices.