CENTER FOR GREAT APES SANCTUARY

Center for Great Apes Sanctuary, in Wauchula, Florida, was planned to host 15 great primates in the beginning. In a few years there are already 44 (30 chimpanzees and 14 orangutans). The majority came from the entertainment industry, Hollywood and some lived with families for decades, with no contact with other primates at all.

A new construction has begun to receive six to eight chimpanzees who are at the waiting list to live in that paradise with their equals. A special case calls attention: a male chimpanzee who is more then 40 years old that was caught in Africa, brought to United States and lived all his life with a family in the middle-west, and never saw any other chimpanzee. The family wishes to donate him to the sanctuary and when this happens, in the next few months, a special adaption plan will be put in practice for him. The sanctuary did the same thing with Marco, who was 46 years old at the time – now He is 50 – and lived with his trainer since He had been caught in Africa. When his trainer retired, he lived by himself for years in a cage in the house yard. Today he lives in the sanctuary with his best friend Butch (photo).

To receive the chimpanzees that are in the waiting list, the sanctuary needs economic help from everyone. They have already started to build the housing for the new guests. They also have an agreement with Winifred Johnson Clive Foundation, which will contribute with US 50 thousand to this project if they managed to raise other US 50 thousand from the society.

Dolar by dolar this can be possible, because the happiness of a dozen chimpanzees, who lived like salves with humans, depends on this. Help,visit the website of the sanctuary – www.centerforgreatapes.org – and see the photos of the guests that managed to survived to human barbarian.

Dr. Pedro A Ynterian
President, GAP Project International