The news out of Miami’s Jungle Island is that orangutans at the attraction use iPads to draw, play games, and expand their vocabulary. Why am I not surprised? As is the case with humans, older orangutans show less interest in the gadgets than the youngsters.
The woman in charge of this dopey project, whose name I will withhold to spare her further embarrassment, says she hopes the project will help bridge the gap between humans and orangutans.
It never occurred to me until now that this is a gap anyone would wish to bridge. And considering how our culture has devolved over the past few decades, one is entitled to speculate on just how much of a gap remains. Please put me down as one who wishes to preserve the gap.
