An Interview with Orangutan Outreach

The name “orangutan” literally translates into English as “man of the forest”. It comes from Malay and Bahasa Indonesian orang (man) and hutan (forest).

Hitting viral news recently, the Orangutan Outreach charity effort has asked Apple to add a dedicated "Apps for Apes" category to their app store.  This followed remarkable results the zoo keepers saw when giving the primate an iPad, allowing enrichment through the likes of Skype, video and picture drawing apps.  Regardless of what sort of response (if any) they will receive off the Cupertino based technology company, it shone a spotlight on their conservation efforts.

The Orangutan is a critically endangered species, and the goal of the outreach is to save these highly intelligent creatures.  Public support is more important than ever to protect and care for them.  We instantly became fascinated by the curiosity that the Orangutans showed to this technology, and had to find out more.  We spoke to Richard Zimmerman, Executive Director of Orangutan Outreach.