It's mainly for gorillas, rhinos, and other zoo animals. Baraka was obsessed with Calaya from the moment he saw her.
The Algorithm of the Wild
The female gorilla was a new resident of the National Zoo, having just arrived from Seattle. For her first 30 days in her new home, she stayed in quarantine — the other gorillas could see her but could not interact in any way.
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Baraka wanted to watch her the whole time, according to Becky Malinsky, the zoo's assistant curator of primates. When they were finally allowed to be in the same room together, they mated within an hour. It wasn't exactly a match made in heaven — it was a match made in a piece of advanced software. The animal matchmaking program isn't just for gorillas, and it takes some things into consideration that probably aren't on Tinder's radar. It scores every animal on a variety of traits and when we say "every" animal, we mean there's an entry for each flamingo in each American zoo , including social skills, age, experience, family history, and interpersonal relationships.
Oh, and genetic diversity.
Animals with rare genes are more valuable to breeding programs because their offspring will introduce more genetic diversity into the dating pool. These animals aren't royals from medieval Europe — an inbred population living in cushy conditions isn't what zookeepers are going for. You know how on OkCupid, they tell you that you're, say, 80 percent friends, 15 percent enemies, and five percent neutral to another person?
The animal matchmaking program also tries to guess how well any two critters will get along — but they do so on a scale of one to six. A one is the best — the two don't share a lot of genetic similarities, and their personalities are likely to mesh well with each other. Baraka and Calaya scored a one before they ever met, so zookeepers weren't especially surprised to see that they got along so well.
He's laid back but responsible, and she's confident and quirky. That means he'll be able to provide her with a sense of security, but he won't be put off by some of her odd habits like how she refuses to walk on the ground if she can help it. It's not an exaggeration to say that these animal dating sites are a whole lot more successful than human ones.
Giant pandas are probably the best-known example of a breeding program working right. Skip to main content. You are here Adopt. What is our process? How long does this take? What can YOU do to speed up the process? The best thing you can do is to have an open mind. You may begin the process thinking that you want one thing, but as you work with your adoption coordinator, it may become evident that the perfect match is something entirely different!
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Welcome to the brand new and improved ThePetMatchmaker. A key part of our mission is having great information available for you. TPM covers all kinds of companion animals. We have lots of features on dogs and cats. But we also have items on more unusual pets, like stick bugs and chickens. TPM knows that everybody loves their companion animal.
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A puppy has different needs than a senior dog. A kitten likes different things than a cat. Even fish change as they age! So many majestic creatures roam the wilderness. It can be difficult to resist the urge to bring these animals into our homes. The Pet Matchmaker loves to share blogs from other like-minded pet people. We reach out to the stars who love their rescue pets and ask them 10 questions.
The Pet Matchmaker likes to promote Meatless Monday by sharing vegetarian and vegan recipes most Mondays. Because eating less meat is good for you, good for the planet and certainly good for animals. Cheers to Adult Beverages! More than try to adopt dogs rescued from hoarder's home.
Matchmaking for zoo animals
Penny For Your Thoughts? Diary of a Dog Rescuer. Dogs are the most popular pet type in the USA.