A Retirement Home for Famous Apes
W A U C H U L A, Fla., July 31, 2004 -- An estimated 100 chimpanzees and orangutans currently work in the entertainment industry, appearing in movies, television shows, commercials, and on greeting cards.
But for apes, show business is a short career. As they near the age of 6, most apes grow too big and powerful for trainers to control.Famed primate researcher Jane Goodall once called for a ban on show business acts that include apes.
But the question remains: What should be done with these apes when they are ready to retire?
Luckily, the former movie stars, TV actors, and circus performers have found refuge at the Center for Orangutan and Chimpanzee Conservation, a Florida retirement home for apes.
Actor Apes Are Only Babies
"The public likes to see them in advertisements," said Patti Ragan, who opened the sanctuary six years ago. "They like to see them in movies, but the public doesn't know they are only babies."
Young retired apes sometimes end up in research labs or confined in small, private zoos, where they don't receive private care.
Two years ago, Radcliffe the organutan was stuck in a cage at a roadside zoo, looking bony and malnourished. Today, living at Ragan's compound, he is a healthy 270 pounds.
"I'd like for people to think about where [the apes] will be after they are in a movie and after they're in a circus, where do they end up?" said Ragan.
Ragan now cares for 14 residents — 10 chimpanzees and four orangutans — who range from 4 to 35 years of age. They share 50 acres of towering habitats and elevated tunnels.
Life of Leisure Isn't Cheap
The apes' life of leisure isn't cheap. It costs $10,000 each year to feed and house the animals, and the nonprofit center relies on donations.
One of the newest residents, Brooks, recently starred in a recent million-dollar Super Bowl ad.
Brooks had never seen another chimpanzee when he came to the sanctuary, and as a result, went through some weeks of crying and screaming fits.
He now lives harmoniously with four other chimps, including Grub, the resident alpha male.
The population is about to expand again. Five new apes are moving in by the end of the summer — more retirees from the entertainment industry.
All of them will help care for 4-year-old Knuckles, who was destined for a life in show business until he was diagnosed with cerebral palsy.
"What I would love to provide is life with dignity," Ragan said. "They really deserve a life of retirement and doing what they want to do."