Two zoo chimpanzees in the Czech Republic put up large screens in the chimpanzee enclosure so that their boring chimpanzees can communicate with each other via video calls.
A facetime experiment was arranged to help stimulate the champs, who did not fail to communicate with visitors during the lockdown.
The screens were installed on March 11 in the empty viewing areas at the gate Krilovy Safari Park and the Brno Zoo. Allows two-way video calls between screens Ape The two went from the zoo to see each other for 8 hours a day, even though they were kept on mute.
Yet, chimps seem to be moving towards new technology.
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“The campaign has been a great success, and we can’t be happier and prouder,” Mitchell Stney, a spokesman for Diver Krilovy Safari Park, told LiveScience. “Other zoos have also decided to take the concept and work with it.”
Intelligent animals
Zoos have the challenging task of keeping the most friendly and intelligent animals engaged and accomplished.
“Chimpanzees are very agile and therefore need a lot of stimulation to keep them active, agile and happy,” Austen said. “The key is to continue to bring new ways and different kinds of prosperity every day to keep them busy.”
In general, zoo keepers are constantly looking for new ways to entertain chimps and challenge and entertain using a variety of toys, food and equipment. However, during the lockdown, zoo keepers have found it difficult to mimic the benefits Chimps received from interacting with human (and inhumane) visitors.
“Chimps enjoy observing people and their dogs, which is allowed at the zoo,” Stan said. “Sometimes they enjoy a few games with visitors, such as chasing them, crying over them and other regular chimp games.”
Unfortunately, due to COVID-19 Nationwide epidemic, The safari park has been closed for months. “The zoo has been closed for about 200 days,” Stan said. “This project shows people that the zoo does not sleep and that the animals need our daily care.”
Successful screen time
Facetimizing with other chimpanzees seems to have a partially replaced effect of stimulation to the clowns interacting with visitors.
“Anything new is very interesting to them,” Stan said. “Especially during the first day, the group will carefully monitor what is happening.”
Imp Stney said Chimps clearly knew he was using the video, as he was constantly looking to see what was behind the screen. But the chimps also understood that the chimps and the keeper on the screen could see them too.
“Some of them were bringing their own food to show other chimps as they would with regular new pups.” “Chimps also enjoy watching Bruno’s zoos do their work.”
All of Dwir Krilovi’s chimps were engaged in video chats at some point, but a young woman, known simply as M, seemed more in screen time than some older residents.
“Sometimes the chimps are so interested in the screen that they refuse to move from one closure to another when the keeper needs to clean it up,” Austney said.
Although the facetimming has been a huge success at the zoo, the project is expected to be completed in the next two weeks, Stan said, as they assume the chimps will eventually get fed up with it.
“Video streaming has been a huge success, but over time, Chimp’s attention has largely waned,” Stan said. “That’s why keepers keep coming [up] With new ways of breeding every day. “
Published on Original Living Science.