Researchers from the University of Glasgow and the University of Aalto in Finland have begun to investigate how a group of three white-faced snipe monkeys at the Korkeasaari Zoo in Helsinki would respond to being able to activate custom auditory or visual stimuli. Infrared sensors were used to create three equal-sized interactive zones in a tunnel in the monkeys’ shell, and the sakis fired either a video or a sound on a screen in front of them, playing for as long as they chose to stay. Their interactions were recorded and the sakis were found to elicit twice as many sound stimuli as visual stimuli – suggesting that they would rather listen to the Arctic Monkeys than watch Planet of the Apes. As the study progressed, their overall levels of interaction with both stimuli decreased, but their interactions with visual stimuli increased compared to auditory stimuli. Overall, of the three audio files, they listened to the most music (the others were rain sounds and traffic noise). Underwater scenes proved to be the most popular of the three video files, competing against worm videos and abstract shapes and colors. Touch screen systems are designed to entertain and engage animals with interactions, stimulating cognitive function in ways comparable to activities they could undertake in nature, helping to maintain their physical and mental health. Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, of the School of Computer Science at the University of Glasgow, said: “Our findings raise a number of questions that need to be further explored to help us create effective interactive enrichment systems. “Further study could help us determine if the brief interactions were merely part of their typical behavior or reflect their level of interest in the system.” Similarly, their different levels of interaction over time could reflect how appealing they found the content or simply that they were accustomed to the presence of the tunnel in their housing. “While they chose audio more regularly than video, the results were not statistically significant so we know for sure what they prefer.” The system, used in the cage for 32 days, is the first of its kind to offer monkeys a choice of stimuli, the researchers said. The sakis’ interactions were mostly short, lasting a few seconds at a time as they walked or ran through the system – reflecting the way they interact with more familiar elements in their shell. The Sakis are usually found in the lower canopy of the rainforests of Brazil, Guyana, Suriname and Venezuela.
