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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 23, 2026

Assessment of Social Cognition in Non-human Primates Using a Network of Computerized Automated Learning Device (ALDM) Test Systems

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Orangutans' Comprehension of Zoo Keepers' Communicative Signals.

Guillaume Dezecache^1,2, Aude Bourgeois³, Christophe Bazin⁴

¹Institut Jean Nicod, Département d'Etudes Cognitives, ENS, EHESS, PSL Research University, CNRS, 29 rue d'Ulm, 75005 Paris, France. guillaume.dezecache@gmail.com.

Animals : an Open Access Journal From MDPI

|June 2, 2019

Summary

Orangutans understand keeper instructions best through gestures. This study found that neither iconicity nor pointing explained this preference, suggesting gestures are key for animal communication.

Keywords:

animal welfare gestures inter-species communication medical training orangutans speech

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Area of Science:

Primate behavior
Animal cognition
Zoological welfare

Background:

Cooperative interactions between zookeepers and animals enhance animal welfare.
Conditioning training aids daily routines by teaching animals to respond to keeper requests.
The effectiveness of different communication modalities for keeper-animal understanding is under-explored.

Purpose of the Study:

To investigate which communication modality (verbal, gaze, gesture, or combined) best facilitates understanding of keeper instructions by orangutans.
To determine if the preference for gestures is due to iconicity or pointing.

Main Methods:

Two captive female orangutans participated in two experiments.
Experiment 1 compared comprehension of instructions via verbal signals, gazes, gestures, and combined modalities.
Experiment 2 tested if iconicity or pointing influenced gesture comprehension.

Main Results:

Orangutans successfully comprehended instructions conveyed through gestures alone.
Neither iconicity nor pointing significantly improved comprehension of gestural signals.
A preference for gestural communication was observed, though the underlying reason was not identified.

Conclusions:

Gestures appear to be a sufficient and preferred modality for communication between keepers and orangutans.
The cause of this gestural preference in orangutans requires further investigation.
Findings suggest prioritizing gestural communication in zoological settings for orangutans and potentially other species.