Showing mobile phone videos to gorillas can cause them to fight and bully each other, says primate expert
- Gorilla expert, Ian Redmond OBE, explains why it can cause disruption
- He believes it creates ‘competition between the gorillas’
- READ MORE: Zoo urges public to stop showing gorillas their phones
Showing mobile phone videos to gorillas can cause them to fight and bully each other, according to a primate expert.
The intelligent creatures could start to compete with each other for spots to watch videos being shown to them by humans through glass enclosures, the conservationist told MailOnline.
It comes after a zoo in Toronto begged visitors to stop showing gorillas their phones as it’s ‘upsetting’ them and ‘affecting their relationships.’
Zoo keepers pleaded with the public to refrain from showing them any videos or photos as some content can be upsetting and affect their wellbeing.
Ian Redmond OBE, tropical field biologist and conservationist, explained that showing the gorillas videos on phones can ’cause tensions in the group and the zoo wants to maintain peace.’
Redmond said ‘Smartphones are compelling and given the life of a captive ape in social and sensory deprivation, it’s going to be appealing to them’
Gorilla wants to see whats on lady’s phone. The eye contact he was trying to make is amazing. Very intelligent #gorilla #phone
The zoos decision came after videos went viral of gorillas being fascinated by mobile phones from inside their enclosures.
In response, the sign put up by Toronto Zoo reads: ‘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 behaviour within their family.’
MailOnline spoke with Ian Redmond OBE, tropical field biologist and conservationist, to find out why this may be the case.
He explained that showing the gorillas videos on phones can ’cause tensions in the group and the zoo wants to maintain peace.’
He said ‘The phone introduces environmental enrichment into their enclosure.
‘If you have to keep animals in captivity, you can’t just have one environmental enrichment as it will cause arguments, fights and social disruption. This is the N+1 rule.’
‘N’ represents the animal, and ‘one’ represents the enrichment, so for every animal in the enclosure there should be one option of enrichment.
He continued ‘This is also evident in human prisons. Zoos need more than one enrichment if the phones are being introduced.
He explained that showing the gorillas videos on phones can ’cause tensions in the group and the zoo wants to maintain peace’
Redmond is renowned for his work with gorillas and has been involved in more than 50 documentaries on the subject for the BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel
‘Each individual who may be interested in the device would need a chance to do so without being bullied by others.
‘Smartphones are compelling and given the life of a captive ape in social and sensory deprivation, it’s going to be appealing to them.
‘If you’re stuck in the same enclosure, seeing photos of new faces is going to be interesting.’
Redmond is renowned for his work with gorillas and has been involved in more than 50 documentaries on the subject for the BBC, National Geographic and the Discovery Channel.
He believes the zoo is banning this interaction in the short term ‘to prevent competition between the gorillas of who gets the desired spot of getting to look at the phone’.
However, he thinks there ‘should be a better way of dealing with it in the long term as it’s a shame to take away that positive communication for them.’
‘It’s an example of the cognitive abilities of gorillas which is fascinating when you watch their reactions to the phones,’ Redmond continues.
‘It’s communication very clearly between beings which is why it’s gone viral – it’s self-evidently fascinating that they are that understanding.
‘The gorilla was making as much eye contact with the person as the phone – the communication was revealing as it’s something the public may not have seen before.’
A primate expert has revealed that showing mobile phone videos to gorillas can cause them to fight and bully each other
Redmond believes the zoo is banning this interaction in the short term ‘to prevent competition between the gorillas of who gets the desired spot of getting to look at the phone’
He also believes once the public see how intelligent gorillas are and how good their communication is, they may start to think they don’t belong in zoos:
‘From these viral videos the public have the opportunity to see the communication between these two beings.
‘If they see how intelligent they are, they start to realise, shouldn’t they be in a quiet sanctuary without people banging on the glass?
‘The public are starting to question the ethics of it. My personal view is that animals like gorillas have a job to do in the forest, it performs better for the species with them there.
‘By keeping them in zoos, we’re not respecting the order of the eco-system.’
However, he adds that ‘the stimulation of the phone and the person for the gorilla individually is a positive and fascinating thing.’
He also believes once the public see how intelligent gorillas are and how good their communication is, they may start to think they don’t belong in zoos
In one video taken at Louisville Zoo, we see Jelani the gorilla watching a guest swipe through pictures on their phone.
We see him sit next to the glass of the enclosure, fascinated by the device as he watches the guest swipe through photos and ask ‘do you like those?’
Maria Franke, Toronto Zoo’s director of wildlife conservation and welfare, told The Toronto Star that one of their gorillas called Nassir is ‘distracted and not interacting with the other gorillas. He was just so enthralled with gadgets and phones and the videos.’
Another zoo in Chicago was forced to put up a rope line a few feet away from the glass partition of its gorilla enclosure to stop people from showing the animals their phones.
Toronto Zoo have been approached for comment.
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