The Center for Great Apes is an animal sanctuary for great apes located east of Wauchula, Florida. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1993, the sanctuary has about 70 orangutans and chimpanzees who were formerly used in entertainment, scientific research, or the exotic pet trade. The sanctuary sits on 100 acres of land in rural Florida, southwest of Orlando.
The sanctuary is a founding member of North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) and is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. As such, it is not open to the general public as an attraction or zoo.
The backstory of six of the chimpanzees at the Center for Great Apes was featured in the TV documentary series Chimp Crazy. As a result of a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals lawsuit, they were removed from a facility in Missouri and sent to the sanctuary in 2021.
The Center for Great Apes is the only accredited orangutan sanctuary in the United States.
Notable residents Bubbles was the former companion of Michael Jackson. Bella was the star of the CareerBuilder 2004 Super Bowl XL campaign. Sam "Sammy" starred in the 1996 film Dunston Checks In. Sandra was declared a "non-human person" in Argentina after spending 20 years at Buenos Aires Zoo. Sunshine was born in the United Kingdom 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 in the 2001 film Planet of the Apes, and with his twin brother, appeared 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.
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Further reading
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) "Work of Great Apes on display at Turchin Center" By Makaelah Walters Sarasota Magazine (Dec 2018) "Southwest Florida's Center for Great Apes Celebrates Its 25th Anniversary" by Dyllan Furness Phys.org (2020) "Showbiz apes find peace through painting in Florida retirement" by Leila MacOr National Geographic (April 7, 2020) "This 'hand-washing' orangutan went viral—but the story isn't true" by Natasha Daly CNN (Nov 9, 2019) "Sandra the orangutan, freed from a zoo after being granted ‘personhood,' settles into her new home" 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 Reuters (Nov 2010) Caged chimpanzees move to spacious new home in Florida
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