Center for Great Apes

The Center for Great Apes is a sanctuary for great apes located east of Wauchula, Florida. Its mission is to provide a permanent sanctuary for orangutans 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. It has earned the highest possible rankings from both Charity Navigator (4 Star), and Guidestar's Platinum Seal of Transparency. The Center, 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 (NAPSA) and is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.

Notable residents

 * Bubbles, former companion of Michael Jackson.
 * Bella, star of the CareerBuilder 2004 Super Bowl XL campaign.
 * Sam "Sammy" starred in the movie Dunston Checks In.
 * Sandra was declared a "non-human person" in Argentina after spending 20 years at Buenos Aires Zoo.
 * 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 in the 2001 film Planet of the Apes and 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.jpg