Ines Vuckovic/Dose

This Zoo Is Using Tinder For Orangutans

Swipe right to save an endangered species.

Kevin Jackson
OMGFacts
Published in
2 min readFeb 24, 2017

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Humans are a horny bunch. The global porn industry is worth about $100 billion. Meanwhile, as of 2015, about 8 billion people had met each other using Tinder.

But you know what? Other animals get randy, too — and maybe they deserve a Tinder of their own. One zoo in the Netherlands is working to provide just that for one orangutan, according to The Guardian.

Samboja, an 11-year-old female ape, is in the position that many women of the Tinder age find themselves in: too many dudes, not enough time. Staff at the Apenheul Primate Park, where Samboja lives, have given her a tablet that lets her browse potential mates in an effort to get her to reproduce.

Due to the lack of nearby choices, Samboja’s partner in the horizontal monster mash will have to come from far away. This — combined with how temperamental these animals can be — means that males are often transported to and from a zoo without a chance to get freaky. Letting Samboja browse her options first should help decrease the chances of blue balls for an unlucky male.

Like most people going through dry spells, Samboja isn’t good at staying calm when she gets hot and bothered. She’s already broken one of her Tinder-esque touchscreens (despite its steel frame), and her keepers are now working to find a device that can withstand her outbursts.

This is not the only time zookeepers have attempted something like this. The Wilhelma Zoo in Germany is also trying to get orangutans interested in reproducing by showing them video clips of potential mates.

With worldwide orangutan populations currently critically endangered, projects like these are more important than ever. Outside of halting deforestation, the only way to ensure the survival of these beautiful creatures is to get them to make sweet monkey love in captivity.

We can only hope Samboja is gentler with her men than she is with her tablets.

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Kevin Jackson
OMGFacts

I write, I cook and I geek out over things. Join me, won’t you?