11 months later...

It has been almost 11 months since we launched our experiment.com campaign, and we're still busy! We wanted to let our backers know that their support of the Lemur Smart Feeder Project continues to have positive effects. Here is a brief update:

 

Oakland Zoo chimpanzees interacting with their new enrichment devices on July 11, 2016 (photo by K.E. Jaffe)

If these animals do not look like lemurs, you're right! These a two of Oakland Zoo's chimpanzees investigating one of their newly installed enrichment devices. One of the amazing things that resulted from our successful Lemur Smart Feeder Project is that Oakland Zoo and the Sonoma State Primate Ethology Research Lab have partnered again, this time with Zoo Solutions, LLC, to develop and build a multi-stage enrichment regime for Oakland Zoo's chimpanzees and study how the enrichment affects the chimps' behavior.

Here is a 2 minute video showing how the phase 1 enrichment devices work:

On Monday, July 11, 2016, we installed the devices outside the chimp exhibit. The chimps showed immediate interest!

Darren Minier and David Jaffe have transitioned to the Chimpanzee Enrichment Team, which is Nicole Cornelius' master's project. New to the team are undergraduate researchers Catherine Henderson and Tess Volkov (both biology), who are helping collect observational data, and Taylor Jones (electrical engineering), who built the motors for the devices, as well as Adrienne Mrsny, the chimpanzee keeper.

 

Darren Minier, Nicole Cornielus, and Taylor Jones (left to right) observing the chimpanzees interact with the newly installed enrichment devices on July 11, 2016 (photo by K.E. Jaffe)

We are all very excited about the prospects of this project, especially given the interest expressed by the chimps so quickly.

In addition to this exciting development, the lemur smart feeders live on! They are being prepared for use in the squirrel monkey and coati exhibits at Oakland Zoo.

 

Squirrel monkey (left); coati (right) (photos from www.OaklandZoo.org)

Lastly, Penny, Karin and Darren are getting ready to disseminate the results of the Lemur Smart Feeder project to the broader zoological community by presenting a poster at the Association of Zoos and Aquariums meeting in San Diego in September. 

Thank you, once again, to all of the backers of the Lemur Smart Feeder Project! Your support continues to have a positive effect on species beyond lemurs, and these projects continue to provide invaluable research experience for students. 

-Karin