RaduTyrsina
News Team
After the iPad has been introduced to our primate cousins in some Zoos across the United States, it seems that the trend is expanding and some other animals have to opportunity the become techies. The Long Beach aquarium in California houses the June Keyes Penguin exhibit which includes a full fledged colony of Megellanic penguins. According to the Aquarium’s staff, penguins are intuitive creatures, that are very smart and curios. Although the adults are mostly engaged in their typical daily activities, penguin youngsters will try something new anytime.
The Aquarium workers gave access to two penguins, Jeremy and Newson, to an iPad, on which they uploaded a game that was originally intended for cats. The two curious birds took to the game immediately, as they started chasing the mouse with their beaks on-screen. Jeremy was the first to approach the device a few times, but Newson was the one who really plunged in the game and became a real gamer too.
Volunteer Hugo Ryono who helps out at the California Zoo was the one who came up with the idea of installing an iPad for the birds as a form of environment enrichment.
'Just like cats penguins are very curious and the idea of these birds following a virtual mouse on a screen was just too appealing to me not to try out.”
Ryono donated his old first generation iPad to the penguins, some of which were rescued from a beach affected by global warming in Brazil. It’s seems that they definitely found a better home now.
Source: LA Times
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