BAM BAM & TANGO
Who We Are
The Center for Great Apes is a non-profit sanctuary located in Central Florida, providing lifetime care for over 70 orangutans and chimpanzees rescued or retired from entertainment, research, and the exotic pet trade.
Founded in 1993, our mission is simple yet powerful: to offer a safe, enriching, and dignified environment for great apes who cannot live in the wild. Every individual here has a name, a story, and a second chance at peace.
Why We Exist
Orangutans and chimpanzees are intelligent, social, and emotionally complex beings. Sadly, many are exploited for profit or kept as pets in conditions that fail to meet their basic needs.
At our sanctuary, these apes receive:
- Spacious, naturalistic habitats with elevated aerial trailways
- Specialized medical care and lifelong veterinary services
- Daily enrichment to support their cognitive and emotional well-being
- Individualized attention from experienced caregivers
We do not breed, sell, or trade animals—and we are not open to the public as a zoo. Our sole focus is compassionate care.
Meet the Residents
From Bubbles the chimpanzee—once owned by a pop star—to Radcliffe the orangutan who spent decades in a traveling entertainment show, each of our residents has a compelling story. Here, they experience what all great apes deserve—companionship, respect, and peace.
- “For the first time, they can just be apes.”
How You Can Help
Our sanctuary is funded entirely by compassionate donors - every dollar helps provide a safe, permanent home for the apes in our care.
None of the apes at the sanctuary are able to be released into the wild. They were all raised in captivity by humans and lack the basic survival skills that would have been taught to them by their chimpanzee or orangutan mothers in the wild. And unfortunately, the rainforests and wild habitats are rapidly disappearing due to the palm oil trade, logging, and mining. Therefore, we provide permanent lifetime care to all of the residents at the sanctuary.
Your gift today helps provide:
- Nutritious food (our residents eat 3–6 times a day!)
- Habitat repairs and trailway expansions
- Specialized medical care and lifelong veterinary services
- Individualized attention from experienced caregivers
- Daily enrichment activities like painting, puzzles, and forage games to support their cognitive and emotional well-being
Become a Donor
Every gift makes a difference.
We receive no government funding and are supported by donations from generous people like you who care about the future of our orangutans and chimpanzees. Whether it’s $10 or $1,000, your support goes directly to the care and comfort of apes who can never be released to the wild.
Become a Member
Membership is a meaningful way to support the Center and connect more closely with the apes you’re helping. While we are not open to the public, members receive special opportunities to visit.
- All members are invited to exclusive Member Days at the sanctuary
- Members at certain levels may schedule a private guided tour
- Receive our printed newsletters and behind-the-scenes updates
Thank You
Your interest means the world to us—and to the apes. We invite you to join our community of
compassionate supporters who believe that every great ape deserves a lifetime of care and respect.
Together, we’re giving them a future they deserve.