Online dating has become responsible for many marriages. So, can you blame other mammals for wanting to try it out too? I have no idea how the mating process works for Orangutans, but maybe they can swipe for a mate as well. Yes that’s right, Orangutans are going to have their own Tinder too.
This is taking place at Apenheul primate park in Apeldoorn. It’s a four-year experiment that their team calls ‘Tinder for Orangutans’. The lucky eleven year old, female Orangutan, Samboja gets to participate by being shown potential mates on a touch screen, so she can pick the ones she thinks will be a good match for herself. Wow I bet all the other female Orangutans are jealous of Samboja.
Thomas Bionda, a behavioural psychiatrist at the zoo, had a few words to say about this experiment:
“The aim is to gain a deeper understanding into how female orangutans make their mating choices. It’s also practical because the zoo sometimes has to ship males in from as far away as Singapore and it doesn’t always work out.”
The first bump in the road these scientists are having is trying to make a touch screen strong to handle Orangutan’s tantrums. Hopefully that does not take too long. I would like this process to be up and running soon for Samboja’s sake. I also, wish her the best with this experiment.
In other zoo news, check out these pranksters dressed up as Gorillas!
