New technology allowing zoo animals and their human visitors to share experiences could have positive benefits for both, according to researchers from the University of Glasgow.

Last summer, computing science experts from Glasgow’s School of Computing Science teamed up with zookeepers at Blair Drummond Safari Park to test ‘SensorySafari’, a prototype interactive system which enabled red-ruffed lemurs and humans to share linked multisensory experiences.

The results of the project, set to be presented at a conference this month, suggest that visitors who had the chance to share the same sensory experiences and watch videos of the lemurs interacting with the device spent more time in the animals’ habitat, and reported that they felt an increased emotional connection with the lemurs 

The study also suggested that the everyday lives of the endangered lemurs could be enriched by on-demand access to video and sound clips.

“It can be challenging for zoos to balance their animals’ health, welfare and need for enrichment with their wider aim to provide entertainment and education for visitors,” said Dr Ilyena Hirskyj-Douglas, who led the development of SensorySafari.

“Activities like one-on-one sessions, where visitors can touch and feed the animals in controlled environments, can create memorable moments for humans but can be stressful or repetitive for animals over long periods.

“Interactive tech has the potential to give animals access to new enrichment activities which feel safe and comfortable, while also providing humans with more engaging routes to learn about animals.”

During the pilot project, the researchers installed a specially-designed box containing a video screen, speakers and three vials filled with different scents in the red-ruffed lemurs’ enclosure, with infrared sensors triggering video, sounds, or smells, and also starting a recording of their interactions.

Over the test period, Blair Drummond’s six red-ruffed lemurs triggered the device more than 3,200 times when the interactive elements were active, interacting more with the system when it offered them ‘multimodal’ experiences which provided them one stimulus at a time.

The researchers also paid close attention to human visitors during their time around the animals’ enclosure. More than 25,000 visitors interacted with the human-focused SensorySafari device, which offered them the chance to play a guessing game to predict which sensory stimuli or combinations the lemurs preferred most, receiving immediate feedback on their guesses.

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The touchscreen device significantly increased the amount of time humans spent by the lemur enclosure, boosting visit time from one minute during the initial five-day control to almost twenty minutes when both the human and lemur-focused SensorySafari devices were active.

Surveys taken among the visitors showed that they felt more empathetic towards lemurs’ welfare and were more aware of the animals’ thoughts and feelings after using the device.

“It’s particularly exciting to see that the SensorySafari device significantly increased the time visitors spent with the lemurs and gave them a greater understanding of their needs,” said Connor Malone, Blair Drummond Safari Park’s research coordinator.

“Helping people recognise our animals as intelligent, sentient beings naturally fosters empathy. We look forward to applying these insights to further enrich our animals’ lives and enhance visitor experiences.”