Panic. (National Zoo/Elliot Fabrizio)

The orangutans at the Smithsonian’s National Zoo are learning to use modern technology. Should we be alarmed that these creatures have been given iPads?

The zoo recently joined a program called “Apps for Apes,” in which 12 zoos around the world enrich their resident simians’ captivity with mobile applications that simulate musical instruments and provide other educational functions. And much like the genetic manipulation gone terribly awry in Rise of the Planet of the Apes, the National Zoo got into Apps for Apes with a simple act of do-gooding. From a zoo press release:

The Zoo began participating in the Apps for Apes program last year, when a keeper’s family member donated an iPad to the Great Ape House. Malinsky and fellow animal keeper Erin Stromberg talked with the other program participants to determine which apps were the most popular among orangutans. In the past few months, the Zoo’s repertoire has grown to more than 10 apps, including musical instruments, cognitive games, drawing programs and others. Eventually, the Zoo hopes to connect its orangutans with those at other zoos using video conferencing platforms.

Music? Cognitive development? Video conferencing? Someone call Charlton Heston before this gets out of hand!

To be fair, DCist might have a bit of responsibility in this. We wrote last year about a similar program being implemented at the Milwaukee County Zoo and wondered if it might come to the National Zoo. We maniacs! We blew it up! Ah, damn us! Goddamn us all to Hell!

To tide you over until the apes learn too much from their iPads and stir an uprising, here’s a video of the orangutans playing piano, drums and other instruments on their new toys: