What is "Tinder for Orangutans"?

Smartphones have transformed the way the world communicates, and dating is no exception. Now it’s sway has infiltrated the animal kingdom, with biologists hoping that a new “Tinder for Orangutans” app will help spark love and lust between the extant great apes.

Launched in 2012, Tinder reimagined the dating game. 10 billion matches later, and it’s now one of the most widely used apps on the planet. Inspired by its success, a Dutch primate park has launched an offbeat four-year experiment designed to help scientists understand what female orangutans looks for in a mate.

What make a female orangutan tick?

11-year-old Samboja is the lucky lady, with researchers planning to show her a string of images featuring male orangutans currently listed on the international breeding program. They’ll be displayed on a touchscreen, with researchers paying close attention to whether any of the handsome apes get Samboja hot and bothered.

Playing cupid in the animal kingdom

From pandas and rhinos to tigers and orangutans, breeding endangered species in captivity is notoriously difficult. It’s almost impossible to replicate a natural breeding environment, with prospective partners often living on opposite sides of the world. Even when they do meet, they’re often flagrantly uninterested. For zoos and conservation centres, this makes breeding programmes complex, expensive and frustrating.

So, researchers are hoping that if they can use technology to find out what makes female orangutans tick, they can drastically improve match rates. This would boost the number of orangutans born in captivity, and play an important role in maintaining the global population.

The complexities of orangutan matchmaking

Of course, introducing a 300-pound female orangutan to the animal equivalent of Tinder does come with its complexities. The first tests saw Samboja smash screen after screen, which meant researchers had to develop a tablet durable enough to withstand her strength. They also need to learn how to distinguish positive and negative reactions, and determine whether looks alone are enough to warrant a meeting between Samboja and an eligible bachelor handpicked from the international breeding program.

As mentioned earlier, playing cupid for endangered animals can be incredibly complex. As well as relying on new technologies and behavioural studies, researchers are also heavily dependent on laboratories. From zoologists to medical scientists, it’s vital that all research settings utilising gas cylinders follow strict safety procedures. For more insight into the latest developments, ‘How to Correctly and Safely Store Gases Within a Laboratory Setting’ is a must-read article.