Surprise! Guess who has an opinion?

I was reading in the newspaper today that the Toronto Zoo is on the top of a list to receive a donated iPad for the resident orangutans to use. Beyond the obvious joke here (it’s a little bit peculiar, n’est pas?), I find this a bit disturbing.

The article states that the iPad will be used for the orangutans to play with when boredom sets in. As much as I want to support conservation efforts, I find this a bit ridiculous. Were an orangutan given the freedom of not being kept in an enclosure, I don’t know that boredom would be setting in in quite the same way. It’s not natural for humans to be using electronics, so teaching apes to use them and rely on them for entertainment seems even more artificial.

Personally, I would be more inclined to support nature reserve efforts in an endangered species’ natural habitat rather than confined care of a creature for the ulterior purpose of spectacle. Rather than spending my money to go to a zoo, I’d prefer to be saving that money to travel the world to see these creatures in a protected habitat where they belong. I don’t have issues with the conservation efforts that zoos around the world are making, but when boredom in captivity becomes an issue for an animal, especially one as intellectual as an ape, maybe it’s time to rethink the approach.