Toronto Zoo Clamps Down On Screen Time – for Gorillas
Nassir the gorilla, a 14-year-old male living at the Toronto Zoo, is distracted – by visitors who show him their smartphone pics and videos. The zoo is concerned that too much screen time is not good for the primate.
“We've had a lot of members and guests that actually will put their phones up to the glass and show him videos,” Maria Franke, the zoo's director of wildlife conservation and welfare, told the Toronto Star. “And Nassir is so into those videos. It was causing him to be distracted and not interact with the other gorillas and, you know, being a gorilla. He was just so enthralled with gadgets and phones and the videos.”
The distraction was enough that the zoo has posted an advisory at the exhibit: “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.”
Nassir isn’t the first gorilla in the thrall of online content. Last year Chicago’s Lincoln Park Zoo observed another teen gorilla, named Amare, who became increasingly glued to visitors’ smartphones. They clamped down on his screen time, too.
Photo credit: Richard Lautens / Toronto Star
