The Center for Great Apes’ mission is to provide a permanent sanctuary for

orangutan Orangutans are great apes native to the rainforests of Indonesia and Malaysia. They are now found only in parts of Borneo and Sumatra, but during the Pleistocene they ranged throughout Southeast Asia and South China. Classified in the genu ...

s and chimpanzees who have been rescued or retired from the entertainment industry, from research, or from the exotic pet trade; to educate the public about captive great apes and the threats to conservation of great apes in the wild; and to advocate for the end of the use of great apes as entertainers, research subjects, and pets. The Center for Great Apes, the only accredited orangutan sanctuary in North America, provides lifetime care with dignity for orangutans and chimpanzees, both endangered species. The Center for Great Apes has earned the highest possible rankings from both Charity Navigator (4 Star), and Guidestar's Platinum Seal of Transparency. The Center for Great Apes, a private, non-profit, does not receive government funding and relies solely on the generosity of its members, private donors, and grants from foundations. The annual cost of caring for each ape including enrichment, nutrition, and medical, is approximately $36,000 per year. The sanctuary is a founding member of

North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance North is one of the four compass points or cardinal directions. It is the opposite of south and is perpendicular to east and west. ''North'' is a noun, adjective, or adverb indicating direction or geography. Etymology The word ''north'' is ...

(NAPSA) and is accredited by the

Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries is a non-profit group which provides certification for animal sanctuaries, rescue centers, and rehabilitation centers through verification and accreditation. The group was founded in 2007 and is locate ...

Aerial trailways at Center for Great Apes

Notable residents

* Bubbles – former companion of

Michael Jackson Michael Joseph Jackson (August 29, 1958 – June 25, 2009) was an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and philanthropist. Dubbed the "King of Pop", he is regarded as one of the most significant cultural figures of the 20th century. Over a ...

. * Bella –

CareerBuilder CareerBuilder is an employment website founded in 1995 with offices in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. In 2008, it had the largest market share among online employment websites in the United States, where it was founded. CareerBu ...

2004 Super Bowl XL campaign. * Sam "Sammy" (former) – starred in the movie ''

Dunston Checks In ''Dunston Checks In'' is a 1996 Canadian-American children's comedy film directed by Ken Kwapis. The film stars Eric Lloyd, Graham Sack, Jason Alexander, Faye Dunaway, Rupert Everett, Paul Reubens, Glenn Shadix, and Sam the Orangutan as Dunston. T ...

''. * Sandra – Orangutan declared a "non-human person" in

Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...

after spending 20 years at

Buenos Aires Zoo The Buenos Aires Eco Park ( es, Ecoparque de Buenos Aires) is an park in the Palermo district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. The former zoo, opened in 1888, contained 89 species of mammals, 49 species of reptiles and 175 species of birds, with a tot ...

. * Sunshine was born in England where her mother was owned by singer Tom Jones’ manager. *Bo and Joe - formerly at CW Exotics facility featured in the Netflix series '' Tiger King.'' *Marco is the oldest and smallest chimpanzee at the Center for Great Apes. *Jonah and Jacob are twins. Jonah starred with

Mark Wahlberg Mark Robert Michael Wahlberg (born June 5, 1971), former stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, businessman, and former rapper. He has received multiple accolades, including a BAFTA Award, and nominations for two Academy Awards, three ...

in the 2001 version of the ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is an American science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a world in which humans and intelligent apes clash for control. The franchise is based on Frenc ...

'' and along with his twin brother worked in the original “Trunk Monkey” commercials. *Mari, the orangutan, is one of several apes taken care of by the Center for Great Apes who have special needs. Mari lost both arms as an infant before arriving at the sanctuary. *Knuckles, a chimpanzee, had cerebral palsy. *Allie has Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy (CIDP), a condition, that in Allie's case, prevents the use of her legs or feet. Jonah the chimpanzee at the Center for Great Apes

Jonah the chimpanzee at the Center for Great Apes

Cahaya and family at Center for Great Apes

Marco the chimpanzee at the Center for Great Apes

References

* The Week (Jan 8, 2015
Charity of the week: Center for Great Apes
* Sierra Magazine (April 2020
Weekly Roundup
* New York Times (September 10, 2001)

by Rick Lyman * People Magazine (November 2021)
8 Rescue Chimps Take 2,600-Mile Trip to Reach the Safety of Their New Florida Sanctuary Home
by Kelli Bender * Watauga Democrat (Aug 2021

By Makaelah Walters * Sarasota Magazine (Dec 2018)
Southwest Florida’s Center for Great Apes Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary
by Dyllan Furness * One Green Planet (2016
Why Car Dealership Ads Featuring Footage of Captive Orangutan Are Anything but Cute
by Lauren Kearney * Phys.org (2020)

by Leila MacOr * National Geographic (April 7, 2020)
his ‘hand-washing’ orangutan went viral—but the story isn’t true
by Natasha Daly * CNN (Nov 9, 2019)

by Alaa Elassar * Christian Science Monitor (April 13, 2017)
Rescued chimpanzees and orangutans: This woman’s lifework is caring for them
by Gregory M. Lamb * New York Times (June 15, 2015)

by James Gorman * The Lane Report (2013)
Big Ass Fans makes major donation to Center for Great Apes Animal Sanctuary
* Christian Science Monitor (Feb 2011)
Super Bowl commercials: What happens to those CareerBuilder chimps?
*

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was esta ...

(Nov 2010
Caged chimpanzees move to spacious new home in Florida
* Live Science (August 14, 2008

By Greg Soltis {{Zoos of Florida Animal charities based in the United States Charities based in Florida Environmental organizations based in Florida Organizations established in 1993 Primate sanctuaries 1993 establishments in Florida Tourist attractions in Hardee County, Florida

Notable residents

References

Further reading