You’re probably familiar with the saying that a monkey smashing keys on a keyboard for an infinite amount of time will produce the works of William Shakespeare. While we haven’t hit that point in the infinite monkey theorem yet, the Smithsonian’s National Zoo in Washington D.C. is doing something similar through the Apps for Apes program. With success seen at 12 other zoos around the world, Apps for Apes lets orangutans use iPads as a way to stimulate their lives. According to the Orangutan Outreach group, the program has three goals: to provide stimulating enrichment and gratification for the orangutans, to raise awareness among zoo visitors of the need to protect orangutans in the wild and to promote the conservation efforts of Orangutan Outreach. The National Zoo offers more than 10 iPad apps that the orangutans can use, including musical instrument apps, drawing programs and cognitive games. These orangutans may not be penning Shakespeare, but they’re more connected than any of us were ten years ago.
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