Gorillas, they’re just like us!
But in this instance, that’s not a good thing.
In addition to sharing 96% of our DNA, gorillas share another trait – our addiction to cell phones. According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, zoos across North America are warning visitors against showing their screens to the animals, who have been known to change their behavior as they become enamored with the images on the screen and look for ways to get more screen time.
Lincoln Park Zoo resident Amare, a 16-year-old gorilla, was a victim of bullying by the other gorillas in his enclosure as he missed important developmental social cues while glued to the cell phones the human visitors had pressed up against the glass.
‘We are growing increasingly concerned that too much of his time is taken looking through people’s photos, we really prefer that he spend much more time with his troop mates learning to be a gorilla,’ Stephen Ross, the director of the zoo’s Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, told the Chicago-Sun Times.
The Toronto Zoo has worked to combat a similar issue by posting signs across their compound that read: “For the wellbeing of gorilla troop please refrain from showing them any videos or photos as some content can be upsetting and affect their relationships and behavior within their family.”
At the San Diego Zoo, one of the most famous in the country, reporters from the Wall Street Journal witnessed “gorilla groupies” filming the gorillas and showing the animals the videos of themselves in order to elicit a reaction. But it seems like they are doing it more for themselves than the animals.
One “groupie”, who spoke to the WSJ on the condition on anonymity, called the gorilla enclosure his “happy place”, while another insisted that “any enrichment is good enrichment”, but zookeepers clearly believe otherwise as they work nonstop to stop the guests from introducing technology to the animals.
Conservationist Beth Armstrong went one step further, telling the WSJ that she wishes people would put their phones down and just experience the wonder of these animals rather than exposing them to distracting human technology.
“I get that people want that sort of connection,” Armstrong said. “But the reality is: What does it do for the gorilla?”
Let’s not introduce our bad habits to creatures that will gain no value from them.
If you think that’s impressive, check out this story about a “goldmine” of lithium that was found in the U.S. that could completely change the EV battery game.