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以为只有人类对电子产品痴迷？你错了。美国和加拿大的12家动物园推出的“猩猩玩应用”项目发现原来大猩猩也喜欢玩平板电脑。动物园工作人员表示，园内大猩猩们每周都有两次玩平板电脑的机会，每次持续时间为15分钟到半小时不等，主要取决于它们的注意力集中情况。工作人员发现，猩猩们最喜欢的应用为针对儿童开发的绘画、音乐及记忆类游戏。同时，工作人员还在研究如何通过交流类应用帮助猩猩们更好地表达自己的感受。“猩猩玩英语”项目旨在引发人们对于大猩猩生存困境的关注。不过，由于目前通过捐赠获得的iPad都比较容易损坏，所以大猩猩们在玩iPad时都由工作人员拿着。主办方正在考虑开发一款尺寸更大、更结实的iPad外壳，该项目也将推广到澳大利亚、新西兰、日本以及欧洲的动物园。
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Zookeepers across the United States and Canada are discovering that apes also get excited about apps. |
Humans aren't the only species on the planet with a penchant for electronic gadgets. Zookeepers across the United States and Canada are discovering that apes also get excited about apps.
As part of a program called Apps for Apes, 12 zoos across the two countries have been incorporating iPads into the enrichment time allotted for orangutans, the giant furry red primates native to Indonesia and Malaysia.
"We're finding that, similar to people, they like touching the tablet, watching short videos of David Attenborough for instance, and looking at other animals and orangutans," said Richard Zimmerman, founding director of Orangutan Outreach, the New York City-based non-profit that runs the program.
Twice weekly, orangutans are provided with access to the tablets. The animals spend from 15 minutes to a half hour using different apps depending on their attention span.
Apps geared towards children that stimulate activities such as painting, music and memory games are among the most popular apps with the apes.
At the Toronto Zoo, zookeeper Matthew Berridge uses apps such as Doodle Buddy for drawing, Montessori Counting Board and Activity Memo Pocket, a memory game, in addition to playing YouTube videos for the apes.
"It's a lot like when we're showing children pop-up books," said Zimmerman, adding that the orangutans are among the most intelligent primates, with the intelligence level of a young child.
Zookeepers are also investigating how communication apps, such as those for the autistic, can help the animals to express themselves better, according to Zimmerman.
"Let's say an orangutan has a toothache. He or she would be able to then tap on the iPad on a picture of a tooth and communicate it that way," he explained.
One very intelligent, but armless, orangutan at the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida is so intent on using the device that she uses her feet to navigate through the touchscreens.
"When you see the enjoyment and focus on their faces it's special, especially for orangutans who are in an enclosure all day and you're providing enrichment for them," said Zimmerman.
Because the tablets are so fragile the zookeepers handle the apps while the animals navigate the touchscreen, but the organization is investigating creating larger, more rugged casings.
The program, which is not meant to replace physical stimulation or climbing, also aims to raise awareness about the threats orangutans face in the wild.
"We're hoping that in that moment we can make a breakthrough with (zoo visitors] and say, 'Listen, these are beautiful animals that are obviously curious and intelligent and not too far from us and this is what they're dealing with in the wild,'" said Zimmerman.
Orangutans are critically endangered because of the rapid deforestation and expansion of palm oil plantations into their rainforest homes, he added.
The program, which relies on donated iPads, will soon be expanding to zoos across Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Europe.
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(Agencies)
（中国日报网英语点津 Helen 编辑）
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