Some zoos and aquariums are using interactive devices—from iPad hunting games for penguins to custom Xbox games for orangutans and puzzle feeders for an arctic fox—to stimulate natural behaviors and relieve boredom, though researchers say the benefits are hard to measure.
At Massachusetts’ Stone Zoo, researcher Rébecca Kleinberger helped introduce an adaptable puzzle feeder for an arctic fox and a motion-sensing machine that blows scented bubbles for black bears. At Maryland Zoo, a retractable robotic arm offers polar bears peanut-butter-covered lettuce to mimic prey emerging from ice holes.
Keepers infer effects from behavior, such as whether penguins swim more or bears walk around more. The Atlantic’s Katherine Wu observed that Stone Zoo fox Hudson, usually found lazing around before the puzzle toy was introduced, has since been more active. Some worry animals could become too absorbed in screens or neglect other activities; whether the devices make them happy or satisfy their instincts remains unclear.
