Center For Great Apes

Room to Climb, Explore & Thrive

Give the 70 great apes at CGA more ways to move, 

more opportunities to choose, and the exceptional care they need every day.

---

For an orangutan, the best route across a habitat may not be along the ground. It might be high overhead—swinging from a firehose vine, crossing a suspended bridge, or carefully making their way from one platform to the next.

For a chimpanzee, adventure may mean racing through an aerial trailway, investigating a new climbing structure, or following a groupmate to see what lies around the next corner.

At the Center for Great Apes, climbing and exploring are much more than exercise. They offer opportunities to make choices, solve problems, build confidence, spend time with companions, and engage in many of the natural behaviors that make each day interesting.

And no two apes explore in quite the same way!

A young chimpanzee may turn a trailway into a lively playground. An adult orangutan might pause high above the ground to watch the activity below. An older resident may prefer a sturdy platform, a comfortable hammock, or a carefully positioned ladder that makes moving around a little easier.

Creating these opportunities requires thought, creativity, and a great deal of strong materials. Caregivers use firehoses, platforms, hammocks, ladders, barrels, boxes, tubs, and puzzle devices to keep habitats engaging. Structures must be inspected, repaired, and occasionally rebuilt to withstand Florida weather—and the remarkable strength and curiosity of orangutans and chimpanzees!

But having room to climb and opportunities to explore is only part of what it means to thrive.Behind every swing through the trailways and every peaceful afternoon spent in a favorite hammock is an entire circle of daily care. Before the sanctuary fully stirs each morning, caregivers are already preparing nutritious meals, medications, enrichment activities, and habitats for 70 individuals.

Throughout the day, they monitor health and behavior, clean living spaces, prepare fresh bedding, maintain equipment, support social relationships, and adjust care for each ape’s age, health, personality, and preferences. Our veterinary team provides routine health monitoring, specialized treatment, and additional support for residents facing the challenges that can come with age.

All of these pieces work together.

A healthy meal provides the energy to climb. A well-maintained habitat offers the security to explore. Enrichment inspires curiosity. Veterinary care helps an aging resident remain comfortable and active. Skilled caregivers make certain that every ape receives the individual attention needed to enjoy the fullest life possible.

That is what thriving looks like at the Center for Great Apes.

---

This Giving Day for Apes, you can help provide more room to climb, more opportunities to explore, and the exceptional daily care that makes every adventure possible. Your gift will support the complete circle of sanctuary care—from habitat improvements and enrichment materials to nutritious food, healthcare, comfortable bedding, and the dedicated caregivers who know each ape so well.

CHOOSE YOUR SUPPORT

DONATE $5 All About the Snacks Supports tasty snacks like a handful of popcorn for a movie-night snack or dried fruits & nuts for foraging	DONATE $10 Comfort Helps provide nesting blankets, sheets, hay, and wood wool for a cozy nap or nighttime nesting	DONATE $25 Fresh Food Helps support a variety of fresh fruits and vegetables & primate biscuits for nutritious meals	DONATE $50 Fresh Browse & Garden Veggies Helps to provide browse for eating, nesting, & play, and veggies and herbs fresh from the ape garden
DONATE $75 Daily Care Helps support clean laundry, habitat supplies, and the essentials caregivers use every day	DONATE $100 Enrichment & Discovery Helps provide paper, tubs, and puzzle materials for curiosity and natural behaviors	DONATE $250 Engaging Habitats Helps provide habitat furnishings suitable to the apes' ages, abilities, and preferences	DONATE $500 Opportunities to Explore Supports aerial trailway improvements & expansion, and larger habitat furnishings