Center for Great Apes

Center for Great Apes Welcome to the official page of the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation, Inc.

The Center for Great Apes’ mission is to provide a permanent sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees who have been retired from the entertainment industry, from research, or who are no longer wanted as pets. The Center provides care with dignity in a safe, healthy, and enriching environment for great apes in need of lifetime care.

Did you know some of the most unique pieces in our auction were created by the apes themselves? 🎨🦧Our Bid for Their Futu...
06/02/2026

Did you know some of the most unique pieces in our auction were created by the apes themselves? 🎨🦧

Our Bid for Their Future: A Wildly Important June auction is filled with one-of-a-kind ape-created artwork, and each piece tells a story all its own.

🧡 "Family Feud" brings together the artistic contributions of an orangutan family whose days are filled with play, patience, and plenty of activity thanks to youngster Cahaya. Layer upon layer of vibrant color creates a joyful composition that feels every bit as energetic as the family who helped create it.

🍊 "Wind Blowing Orange" is a bold and lively painting by orangutan Harry. With sweeping strokes and vibrant colors, the canvas captures the larger-than-life personality that Harry's caregivers know so well. If you've ever watched Harry in action, you'll understand why this piece feels so full of movement and character.

🪼 "Jellyfish and Friend" by orangutan Pebbles invites viewers to look a little closer. Soft blues, bright oranges, and subtle hints of pink create an abstract scene full of movement and imagination. Depending on who is viewing it, hidden shapes and stories seem to emerge from the canvas, making every experience with the painting a little different.

Each artwork comes with a Certificate of Authenticity and represents more than just a painting—it reflects the intelligence, curiosity, and individuality of the orangutans and chimpanzees who call the sanctuary home.

Every winning bid helps provide lifelong care, nutritious meals, veterinary support, enrichment, and safe habitats for the apes at the sanctuary.

The auction is open now through Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 PM EDT. Browse, bid, and help us bid for their future!

https://givebutter.com/c/BidforTheirFuture/auction

If there's one thing you should know about birthday girl Mikayla, it's this: she loves her fan.Today we're celebrating M...
06/02/2026

If there's one thing you should know about birthday girl Mikayla, it's this: she loves her fan.

Today we're celebrating Mikayla's 18th birthday, and few things bring her as much excitement as seeing a caregiver arrive and turn on her favorite fan. In fact, the moment it starts running, Mikayla is often so excited that she breaks into a joyful little dance, running around and sharing her enthusiasm with the first chimpanzee she sees—usually Kerry. While Kerry does his best to join in the fun, no one can quite match Mikayla's excitement in that moment!

Mikayla is one of the more introverted members of her group and can often be found enjoying some quiet time high in the cupola of her habitat or relaxing along the aerial trailways. She prefers enrichment that doesn't require a lot of work, including her favorite Kong gorilla and alligator toys, magazines, and blankets that she cleverly turns into scarves.

When it comes to special treats, Mikayla's favorites include juice, almonds, dried fruit, grapes, and bananas. (Just don't offer her banana chips. They're not on her list of favorites!)

While she may be a little reserved, Mikayla's unique personality shines through in so many ways, from her love of fans to her creative blanket fashions and her enthusiastic celebrations of life's simple joys.

A special thank you to Sue D. for sponsoring Mikayla's Day. We are grateful for Sue's continued support in all aspects of the sanctuary and for helping provide exceptional care for Mikayla and all of the apes.

The bidding has begun! 🎉Our Bid for Their Future: A Wildly Important June online auction is officially live, and there’s...
06/01/2026

The bidding has begun! 🎉

Our Bid for Their Future: A Wildly Important June online auction is officially live, and there’s already so much to explore.

Among the incredible items available right now:

🎨 "Popi" by John Darovitz — A stunning pointillism portrait created from thousands of colored map pins. This remarkable three-dimensional artwork captures the beauty and personality of orangutan Popi in a way that photos simply can't do justice.

🧡 Cahaya Watercolor by Barb Carlsen — Celebrate a historic moment in sanctuary history with this beautiful portrait of Cahaya. Her bright eyes and signature fuzzy red hair shine through in this heartwarming piece.

🐵 Bubbles Oil Painting by Audrey Mason — This touching portrait captures the gentle spirit of Bubbles, one of our beloved chimpanzee residents. Rich textures and warm tones highlight the wisdom and quiet confidence that make him so special.

Every bid helps provide nutritious meals, veterinary care, enrichment, habitat maintenance, and lifelong sanctuary care for the orangutans and chimpanzees who call the Center for Great Apes home.

The auction is open now through Sunday, June 7 at 5:00 PM EDT, and new items may be added throughout the week—so be sure to check back often.

Happy bidding, and thank you for helping us bid for their future!

https://givebutter.com/c/BidforTheirFuture/auction

The birthday celebrations aren't over yet!We're celebrating another very special resident—Ewok, who turns 39 years old t...
06/01/2026

The birthday celebrations aren't over yet!

We're celebrating another very special resident—Ewok, who turns 39 years old today! While Mystery may have kicked off the festivities this morning, now it's time to shine the spotlight on the respected leader of his chimpanzee group.

Ewok is a serious and steady dominant male who plays an important role in maintaining harmony among his companions. He is known for offering reassurance to other group members and helping keep the peace.

Unlike some chimpanzees who enjoy challenging puzzles or fishing enrichment, Ewok prefers the simpler things in life. Cardboard boxes, blankets, wood wool, and paper products are among his favorite enrichment items. He also enjoys foraging through his daily greens, especially romaine and iceberg lettuce, and looks forward to treats like dried fruit and juice.

Ewok spends much of his time with Josh and Sabina, and while he takes his leadership role seriously, caregivers occasionally catch glimpses of his playful side. When he has a little time to himself, he may spin in circles to show off or settle in for one of his favorite activities—watching television in his nighthouse, sometimes staying engaged through an entire episode.

A special thank you to Diana D. for sponsoring Ewok's care today. We are grateful for your support and for helping provide the exceptional care that Ewok and all of the apes receive every day.

🎉 Happy 30th Birthday to Mystery! 🎉Today we're celebrating one of the sweetest (and most food-motivated!) chimpanzees at...
06/01/2026

🎉 Happy 30th Birthday to Mystery! 🎉

Today we're celebrating one of the sweetest (and most food-motivated!) chimpanzees at the Center for Great Apes.

Affectionately known as "Mr. E," Mystery is famous for his love of foraging. During enrichment time, he's often the last chimpanzee still searching, happily scavenging for every last piece of popcorn, cereal, seed, or hidden treat. If there's a snack to be found, Mystery is determined to find it!

Some of his favorite foods include red peppers, bananas, leafy greens, and dried fruits—especially kiwi, mango, and craisins. He also takes pinecone enrichment very seriously, carefully working every last bit of oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, or other tasty spreads from the pinecones.

Mystery shares close friendships with Billy and ShaSha and can often be identified by the unique clicking sound he makes when seeking attention from his chimpanzee companions or caregivers. And of course, his adorably droopy lower lip makes him easy to spot, too.

Please join us in wishing Mystery a very happy 30th birthday!

A special thank you to Gordon and Pat C. for sponsoring Mystery's Day. We appreciate all you do for the apes and for helping make celebrations like this possible!

🌿🦧 It’s our FINAL $5 Friday of May! 🦧🌿And first… we just have to say THANK YOU 💚This month, this incredible community ha...
05/29/2026

🌿🦧 It’s our FINAL $5 Friday of May! 🦧🌿

And first… we just have to say THANK YOU 💚

This month, this incredible community has come together week after week to provide hammocks, nutrition tools, fans, extension cords, Kraft paper, and so much more for the orangutans and chimpanzees at the sanctuary. Watching small gifts create such a meaningful impact for the apes has been truly amazing!

For our final $5 Friday of May, we’re hoping to raise $740 to purchase: ✨ 20 new edible browse plants

These plants will be added throughout the sanctuary grounds and used for enrichment and supplemental diet for the 70 orangutans and chimpanzees in our care.

Earlier this year, we unfortunately lost several browse plants during Florida’s unusual winter frost, so we’re excited to rebuild and expand the variety available again.

Some of the plants we hope to add include:
🌺 Hibiscus (multiple varieties)
🍃 Plumbago
🍇 Grape Vine
🌿 Ginger
🌱 Thunbergia

Browse refers to fresh plant materials like leafy branches, vines, flowers, and twigs that encourage natural behaviors such as foraging, nest-building, peeling, stripping leaves, and exploring different textures and scents.

For many of the apes, browse is a favorite part of the day. Fresh browse does so much more than provide enrichment — it helps keep minds active, encourages species-appropriate behaviors, supports healthy digestion, and gives the apes opportunities to interact with their environment in meaningful ways.

And just like every week this month… every $5 gift helps!

Ready to help us finish May’s $5 Fridays strong?
Donate here: https://centerforgreatapes.org/enrichment-sponsorships/enrichment-sponsorship/

Thank you for making this first month of $5 Fridays such a beautiful success for the orangutans and chimpanzees who call the sanctuary home 💚

📷: orangutans Geri, Cahaya, Allie, Sandra, and Louie and chimpanzees Chipper, Boma, and Kodua

Marco is giving “Thursday afternoon contemplation” energy today. 💭At 66 years old, Marco is our oldest great ape residen...
05/28/2026

Marco is giving “Thursday afternoon contemplation” energy today. 💭

At 66 years old, Marco is our oldest great ape resident and has perfected the art of sitting back and taking it all in. Whether he’s relaxing with his friend Butch or observing the world around him, Marco reminds us that sometimes the best part of the day is simply slowing down for a moment.

Weekend mode: almost activated.

05/27/2026

Enrichment doesn’t always come from a toy or puzzle feeder… sometimes it’s a self-appointed excavation project. 🦧🍂

Recently, orangutan Pongo became completely focused on digging through the pine straw in his habitat, but he didn’t use just his hands. In true orangutan fashion, Pongo used a piece of bark as a tool, scooping and scraping at the ground like a shovel while carefully filling a bucket with pine needles and dirt.

In the wild, orangutans are known for their intelligence and tool use, often manipulating objects to explore their environment or search for food. Activities like digging and foraging help encourage natural behaviors while providing important mental stimulation.

And judging by Pongo’s determination… whatever he was searching for was VERY important business!

Happy World Redhead Day from some of the most famous redheads in the animal kingdom — orangutans! 🦧🧡That beautiful reddi...
05/26/2026

Happy World Redhead Day from some of the most famous redheads in the animal kingdom — orangutans! 🦧🧡

That beautiful reddish-orange hair isn’t just adorable… it actually serves a purpose. In the wild, orangutans live in tropical rainforests where their long, shaggy hair helps protect them from rain, sun, insects, and changing temperatures high in the forest canopy.

And while human redheads get their hair color from a genetic variation linked to the MC1R gene, orangutans developed their signature orange coats through evolution and natural selection over millions of years. So even though both humans and orangutans can rock red hair, the genetics behind it are very different!

Fun fact: the word “orangutan” comes from the Malay words orang hutan, meaning “person of the forest.”

At the sanctuary, our orangutan residents each have their own unique shade and style of red-orange hair — from bright copper tones to deep auburn fluff. Some even get especially shaggy or fuzzy depending on the season!

Today we’re celebrating all shades of red. ❤️🧡

📷: Geri, Popi, Pongo, and Jam

05/22/2026

It’s another $5 Friday for May! Before we jump into this week’s challenge… THANK YOU 💚

After a second call out last week, our incredible community came together in a BIG way and helped us exceed our goal for new fans and extension cords! Because of your generosity, we’ll be able to help keep the orangutans and chimpanzees cool and comfortable during the hot Florida summer months ahead.

Now onto this week’s $5 Friday goal…

We’re hoping to raise $540 to purchase:
✨ 20 rolls of Kraft paper

That means one roll for each ape group or pair at the sanctuary!

Kraft paper is used throughout the sanctuary as both nesting material and enrichment. Some orangutans and chimpanzees enjoy crinkling it up into cozy nests or blankets, while others use it during enrichment activities, play sessions, or simply to investigate and interact with something new.

While many residents can safely enjoy colorful paper, some apes can only have plain brown paper due to a tendency to consume colored materials — making simple Kraft paper an important and safe option for everyone.

It may seem simple, but enrichment items like this help encourage choice, comfort, activity, and natural behaviors every single day.

And as we’ve seen all month long… small donations truly add up FAST 🙌

If just 108 people donate $5 today, we can fully fund this week’s goal in one Friday!

Ready to help? Donate here: https://centerforgreatapes.org/enrichment-sponsorships/enrichment-sponsorship/

Thank you for continuing to make our very first month of $5 Fridays such an incredible success for the 70 orangutans and chimpanzees in our care!

Address

Wauchula, FL

Telephone

+18637678903

Website

Alerts

Be the first to know and let us send you an email when Center for Great Apes posts news and promotions. Your email address will not be used for any other purpose, and you can unsubscribe at any time.

Contact The Organization

Send a message to Center for Great Apes:

Shortcuts

Share

Category