Sustaining the captive gorilla population, one ForageFeeder at a time

With the advances of science and conservation technology, why should zoos continue the laborious and time-consuming task of hand-feeding their captive gorillas? This was the question posed by researchers who published, “ForageFeeder: a low-cost open source feeder for randomly distributing food” which led to the development of the ForageFeeder.¹ The ForageFeeder is an automated gorilla feeder capable of dispensing large food products such as cut vegetables and fruits at random intervals throughout the day.¹ The 2 key factors that influenced the development of this feeder were:

1. The importance of the gorilla's natural foraging patterns
2. Limitations with existing automation

In nature, food foraging is a means of both survival and socialization for gorillas. Their feeding behaviors result in a constant cycle of eating and moving that prevents extreme fluctuations in blood sugar.¹ In captivity, gorillas are conversely subject to a human feeding schedule where they have set meal times throughout the day, thus preventing them from engaging in their instinctive feeding behaviors.¹ The ForageFeeder eliminates this problem by spontaneously expelling food at random intervals across an open area, mimicking a foraging routine and allowing enrichment.¹

The ForageFeeder is also revolutionary in that it’s the only automated feeder to date compatible with the typical gorilla diet.¹ Commercial automated feeders are designed to feed small animals and livestock for farming and hunting. Consequently, these devices can only process small, dry grains. A major challenge in developing a gorilla feeder was the need to design a system that could support the fresh, damp, produce-based gorilla diet which consists of foods like sweet potato or carrot chunks. The ForageFeeder uniquely dispenses food in single serving sizes, preventing the food from sticking and jamming the feeder.¹

Existing feeders are also large investments for most zoos, yet these automations are not equipped to fulfill the needs of primates and large captive animals. With this breakthrough design, zookeepers and conservationists can afford to support their primates’ wellbeing while simultaneously easing staff workflow. Additional highlights of the ForageFeeder include:¹

• An impenetrable exterior to small local wildlife
• Non-electrical components
• Accessible, easy-to-source materials
• An open source design
• A user-friendly interface
• A 38.5-hour battery life
• A short 4-hour assembly time

The ForageFeeder is a promising innovation for zoological research, and in addition to promoting the countless advantages of their “frugal science” device, the authors emphasize the ForageFeeder’s potential contributions to future animal behavior and nutrition studies in other foraging animals.¹ The original model remains in use at the gorilla habitat at Zoo Atlanta and eases zoo staff burdens, promotes natural gorilla feeding behaviors and enrichment, and inspires the future of accessible conservation technology.¹

Gabriela Resto is a 2023 PharmD Candidate at the University of Connecticut.

Reference

1. Jadali N, Zhang MJ, Schulz AK, Meyerchick J, Hu DL. ForageFeeder: A low-cost open source feeder for randomly distributing food. HardwareX. 2023;14:e00405. Published 2023 Mar 1. doi:10.1016/j.ohx.2023.e00405