Meet the Apes

There are 15 orangutans and 30 chimpanzees rescued and living at the Center for Great Apes. Some have been in movies, others were once kept as pets and others were rescued from laboratories. Each of the apes' past history is often sad and sometimes scary. Many were treated terribly, others were nearly starved and most were left in small cages with nothing to do but stare at the walls. For these incredibly intelligent animals, this is a horrible situation. Imagine being stuck in your room for decades with nothing to read, watch, or play with and having to eat the same awful food every day. That is what it was once like for many of the apes before they came to the sanctuary. But the good news...actually...the GREAT NEWS is that they have been rescued and are now at the Center for Great Apes where they live in spacious habitats, with more than a mile of aerial walkways, medical care, a healthy diet and enrichment programs. Funds raised by the Ape Ambassadors ensure that the Center for Great Apes continues its great work!

Below are some images of the sanctuary, the apes and the people who help them.

To "meet" all of the the resident apes of the Center for Great Apes, click here.

HUGE Habitats The habitats at the Center for Great Apes are HUGE! The apes love climbing, playing and exploring.	Mari Meet Mari, a brilliant orangutan who lost her arms when she was only 12 weeks old. She arrived at the Center for Great Apes when she was 20 years old.	Walkways With more than a mile of aerial walkways, the chimpanzees and orangutans are able to explore the sanctuary.
Patti Ragan Patti Ragan is the Founder and Director of the Center for Great Apes. She is super awesome!	Clyde When Clyde was a baby, he was captured and sold into the exotic pet trade. When he was rescued he was severely unhealthy and scared. After a year at the Center for Great Apes, he is happy and healthy,	Aerial Walkways More than a mile of aerial walkways connect the habitats at the Center for Great Apes. This concept, created at the sanctuary, has been inspired zoos and sanctuaries to create similar structures.
Kiki Kiki had lived for most of her life in a small garage cage that allowed her no freedom of movement. At the Center for Great Apes, she has plenty of room to roam and play!	Pongo & Christopher Pongo and Christopher, the first apes at the Center for Great Apes, were rescued from a tourist attraction.	Close to Nature The Center for Great Apes maintains a lush environment that is both beautiful and comforting to the apes.
Baby Stryker Rescued from the entertainment industry, Stryker came to the sanctuary with his mother was when he was 7 months old.	Dr. Goodall and Knuckles Dr. Jane Goodall visits with Knuckles, a chimpanzee with Cerebral Palsy.	Enrichment is Important Apes are highly intelligent and there are numerous enrichment programs to keep their minds and bodies healthy.
Trees Hundreds of trees shade the sanctuary.	Bubbles Bubbles was born in a biomedical laboratory, sold to a Hollywood trainer, and purchased by Michael Jackson and soon gained fame as Jackson's pet chimpanzee.	Popi likes presents For holidays and special events, the apes get presents which the love to unwrap!

AMBASSADORS

APE

Meet the Apes

HUGE Habitats

The habitats at the Center for Great Apes are HUGE! The apes love climbing, playing and exploring.

Mari

Meet Mari, a brilliant orangutan who lost her arms when she was only 12 weeks old. She arrived at the Center for Great Apes when she was 20 years old.

Walkways

With more than a mile of aerial walkways, the chimpanzees and orangutans are able to explore the sanctuary.

Patti Ragan

Patti Ragan is the Founder and Director of the Center for Great Apes. She is super awesome!

Clyde

When Clyde was a baby, he was captured and sold into the exotic pet trade. When he was rescued he was severely unhealthy and scared. After a year at the Center for Great Apes, he is happy and healthy,

Aerial Walkways

More than a mile of aerial walkways connect the habitats at the Center for Great Apes. This concept, created at the sanctuary, has been inspired zoos and sanctuaries to create similar structures.

Kiki

Kiki had lived for most of her life in a small garage cage that allowed her no freedom of movement. At the Center for Great Apes, she has plenty of room to roam and play!

Pongo & Christopher

Pongo and Christopher, the first apes at the Center for Great Apes, were rescued from a tourist attraction.

Close to Nature

The Center for Great Apes maintains a lush environment that is both beautiful and comforting to the apes.

Baby Stryker

Rescued from the entertainment industry, Stryker came to the sanctuary with his mother was when he was 7 months old.

Dr. Goodall and Knuckles

Dr. Jane Goodall visits with Knuckles, a chimpanzee with Cerebral Palsy.

Enrichment is Important

Apes are highly intelligent and there are numerous enrichment programs to keep their minds and bodies healthy.

Trees

Hundreds of trees shade the sanctuary.

Bubbles

Bubbles was born in a biomedical laboratory, sold to a Hollywood trainer, and purchased by Michael Jackson and soon gained fame as Jackson's pet chimpanzee.

Popi likes presents

For holidays and special events, the apes get presents which the love to unwrap!