The Center for Great Apes is an

animal sanctuary An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. In addition, sanctuaries are an experimental staging ground for transformative human–animal relations. There are five types of ...

for

great apes The Hominidae (), whose members are known as the great apes or hominids (), are a taxonomic family of primates that includes eight extant species in four genera: '' Pongo'' (the Bornean, Sumatran and Tapanuli orangutan); '' Gorilla'' (the ...

located east of Wauchula,

Florida Florida ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern region of the United States. It borders the Gulf of Mexico to the west, Alabama to the northwest, Georgia (U.S. state), Georgia to the north, the Atlantic ...

. Founded as a nonprofit organization in 1993, the sanctuary has about 70

orangutans 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 genus ' ...

and

chimpanzees The chimpanzee (; ''Pan troglodytes''), also simply known as the chimp, is a species of great ape native to the forests and savannahs of tropical Africa. It has four confirmed subspecies and a fifth proposed one. When its close relative the ...

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 Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that sets standards of care and provides accreditation and support for animal sanctuaries, rescue centers, and rehabilitation centers. It is based in Phoen ...

. 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 ''Chimp Crazy'' is an American documentary series directed and produced by Eric Goode (''Tiger King''). It follows Tonia Haddix, whose love for a chimpanzee spins into a wild game with authorities and the animal rights group PETA. It premiered ...

''. As a result of a

People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA; ) is an American animal rights nonprofit organization based in Norfolk, Virginia, and led by Ingrid Newkirk, its international president. Founded in March 1980 by Newkirk and animal rights ...

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. Aerial trailways at Center for Great Apes

Aerial trailways at Center for Great Apes

Notable residents

Bubbles Bubble, Bubbles or The Bubble may refer to: Common uses * Bubble (physics), a globule of one substance in another, usually gas in a liquid ** Soap bubble * Economic bubble, a situation where asset prices are much higher than underlying fundame ...

was the 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 Cultural impact of Michael Jackson, one of the most culturally significan ...

. * Bella was the star of the

CareerBuilder CareerBuilder is an American employment website founded in 1995 that operates in the United States, Canada, Europe, and Asia. CareerBuilder provides talent management software and other recruitment related services. The company is majority-owned ...

2004 Super Bowl XL campaign. * Sam "Sammy" starred in the 1996 film ''

Dunston Checks In ''Dunston Checks In'' is a 1996 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. The film received negative re ...

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

Argentina Argentina, officially the Argentine Republic, is a country in the southern half of South America. It covers an area of , making it the List of South American countries by area, second-largest country in South America after Brazil, the fourt ...

after spending 20 years at

Buenos Aires Zoo The Buenos Aires Eco Park () 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 total of over 2,500 animals. The ...

. * Sunshine was born in the United Kingdom where her mother was owned by singer

Tom Jones Tom Jones may refer to: Arts and entertainment *Tom Jones (singer) (born 1940), Welsh singer *Tom Jones (writer) (1928–2023), American librettist and lyricist *''The History of Tom Jones, a Foundling'', a novel by Henry Fielding published in 1 ...

' manager. *Bo and Joe (formerly at CW Exotics facility) featured in the Netflix series ''

Tiger King ''Tiger King'' (subtitled in marketing as ''Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness'' for its first season, ''Tiger King 2'' for its second season and ''Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story'' for its third season) is an American true crime document ...

.'' *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), formerly known by his stage name Marky Mark, is an American actor, producer, and former rapper. Mark Wahlberg filmography, His work as a leading actor, leading man spans the Comedy film, come ...

in the 2001 film ''

Planet of the Apes ''Planet of the Apes'' is a science fiction media franchise consisting of films, books, television series, comics, and other media about a Apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction, post-apocalyptic world in which humans and intelligent apes c ...

'', 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. 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. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...

(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