#apesthatpaint

The youngest ape at the Center, Bobby-Stryker also has the unique distinction of being the only ape at the sanctuary actually raised by his own chimpanzee mother. In March 2005, Stryker arrived at the sanctuary riding on the belly of his mother Jessie when he was only 6 weeks old. He was an unexpected addition because the trainer who sent Jessie to us did not know she was pregnant until the baby was born! Had little Stryker remained in the entertainment world, he would have undoubtedly been removed from Jessie to be hand raised for training purposes – a practice which can be stressful and damaging to both mother and infant. But, now living at the Center, Stryker can live with his mother and family group as well as other chimp friends at the Center for the rest of his life.

Sanctuaries ethically don’t promote or allow reproduction due to the financial responsibility for the life of an infant (could be 50 to 60 years for chimpanzees). For this reason, all the males at the Center have been vasectomized or the females are on birth control. So, it is a rare and special gift for both chimpanzees and staff to observe this infant being raised naturally by his own family. And, it greatly enriches the adults in his group.

Because Stryker has learned appropriate chimpanzee manners and behaviors, he not only can interact successfully with his family group but has also learned to play with the young adult chimpanzees in Jonah & Jacob’s group.  He is one of the chimps here who can easily “fission-fusion” among groups of chimpanzees.  When the adult males “display” and march around pushing tubs and throwing things with great bravado and power, Stryker pushes toys around right behind them, trying to make noise and looking like an alpha male.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

Ripley was once a Hollywood star (in movies Ace Ventura, Junior, and television’s Jerry Seinfeld Show ), but he ended up living in a tiny unaccredited zoo in Nebraska after he grew too large to work with actors. He lived there with three other former entertainment and pet chimpanzees for less than two years until one day,  he and his three companions escaped through a door left open. Ripley and his friends were chased down by the staff, and three of them were shot and killed. When Ripley saw his younger brother Tyler and two other companions shot, he ran back into his cage, closed himself inside, and survived.

Within a day or two after his friends were killed, he was shipped out to a private breeder in Missouri where he lived for the next three years. But Ripley wasn’t the “breeder” they expected, so he was shipped back to California to another compound where he was to be used as a breeder. But after a year at that compound, the trainer agreed to send Ripley to live at the Center for Great Apes where many of his original companions and siblings from Hollywood had been retired.

Ripley arrived at the Center in December 2009 and has been reunited with his family and companions that he once lived with nearly a decade ago. Ripley has had the opportunity to meet his sisters again (Maggie & Bella), his brother Mowgli, and several old friends (Sam, Bubbles, Jessie, & Boma).

Even though Ripley never bred while he was in Nebraska, in Missouri, or most recently at the second California compound… he did mate with Jessie and sired one infant at his original Hollywood home years ago when he was only 12. His only offspring is little Kodua who arrived here in 2005 from California.  Ripley now lives in the group with his daughter, Kodua, as well as Oopsie, Boma, Jessie, Stryker,  and his best friend, Bubbles.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

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Noelle was born December 19, 1994

Noelle was born at a breeding facility in Miami. Her birth mother was hand-reared as a pet and was inexperienced in caring for infants, so Noelle was taken from her mother and was raised by a human family in Ft. Myers for part of her first year.

Noelle is very bright and quickly solves enrichment puzzles. She surprised the staff (when she was only 3 years old) by observing sign-language “words” shown to Grub … and later forming the signs at the appropriate times.

Noelle “talks” to the staff frequently during the day in her own version of sign language. She’ll ask for her favorite treats or tell us that a tasty ginger-flower is in bloom near her enclosure. She watches the mulberry tree nearby and signs “berry, berry” when the mulberries turn black and are ripe. She asks volunteers for a game of “chase” and comments to us when she sees or hears a bird nearby. Noelle also knows the sign for “hurt” and will show us her cuts and scratches as well as sign “hurt, hurt, hurt” when she sees a visitor on crutches, in a sling, or in a wheelchair.

Years ago, when Brooks (3 weeks older than Noelle) first joined Grub’s group, Noelle was very jealous of him. She poked and teased him, and threw toys at him… especially when Grub and Kenya were playing with him. But after a few months together, Noelle learned to play well with Brooks, even “flirting” with him occasionally.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

n her 40s, Oopsie is now the esteemed matriarch of her group at the sanctuary. But her life began as a performer over 30 years ago when she was an understudy on the TV show “BJ and the Bear”. When her original owner retired, she was sent to a California sanctuary for a short time, but then ended up in another trainer compound where she was bred. Oopsie had at least six infants, but all were pulled away from her within weeks of their birth and either trained as performing chimpanzees or sold as pets. Oopsie’s first two offspring, Boma and Jessie, now live at the sanctuary reunited with their mother, all having arrived here together in March 2005.

Oopsie’s fourth infant is our original chimpanzee resident, Grub (born in 1991). Oopsie raised Grub at the Los Angeles animal compound for 12 weeks until he was pulled from her and sold as an infant to a tourist attraction in Miami

When Oopsie’s daughter Jessie arrived in Wauchula, she was carrying her newborn 6-week old infant born in California before she was moved to the Center. After Oopsie and Jessie were reintroduced to each other, Oopsie was very respectful and gentle with Jessie’s baby, her own grandson (Stryker).

Then, in 2006, another youngster (previously born to Jessie and raised by humans) was added to Oopsie’s group. Little Kodua was only three when she was slowly introduced to her birth mother Jessie, her baby brother (Stryker), her aunt Boma, her grandmother, Oopsie, and the two adult males in the group (Sam and Bubbles). To our surprise, Oopsie immediately adopted Kodua taking her into her nest each night and watching over her with the other chimpanzees.

Oopsie loves to paint and usually Kodua and Stryker paint on the canvas with her.  In 2010 Oopsie had a hysterectomy for an enlarged fibroid tumor which had caused her excessive bleeding and pain. But Oopsie had little Kodua spending the nights in the veterinary hospital with her and recovered very quickly with Kodua’s moral support.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

Natsu arrived in Wauchula in December 2005 after a few years of international travel when she worked at an attraction in Kyoto, Japan. Born in the United States, she was returned to the U.S. when she became too large and dangerous to be handled.

Natsu had very little experience interacting with other chimpanzees before she arrived at the Center, so was first introduced to former entertainment juveniles, Mowgli and Kodua. She immediately loved baby Kodua (age 3), but would often scream every time Mowgli teased her or poked her with play invitations. However, within weeks, Natsu learned to not take Mowgli so seriously, and they became good friends.

Since her arrival at the sanctuary, she also has lived with Angel, Brooks, Daisy, Roger, Mickey… and most recently, the older male Chipper. She and Chipper are very compatible and spend hours each day grooming, playing chase, or just resting together.

Natsu is very energetic and athletic. She likes to carry around old shoes or boots on her back and loves to wrap herself up in butcher paper or burlap bags.  During her overseas work, Natsu acquired a taste for Japanese-style rice and other Japanese foods like seaweed.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

Tango was born at a breeder compound in Miami and is Chris’ younger sister, pulled away from her mother, and sold as a tiny infant to a Hollywood trainer for the movies, television, and commercial business. She has performed in several movies (including Jay and Silent Bob Strike Back) and worked in various commercials. In fact, it is assumed that her name came from her use in many of the Tang® commercials where her image is still used on some of their packagings.

Like most young apes, Tango grew until she was too large to be used in entertainment and commercials. Once she turned seven years old, her “shelf life” as a working orangutan had expired. So, Tango was out-placed from show business and was shipped to our Wauchula sanctuary in August 2004.

Tango has been introduced and housed at the sanctuary with several other orangutans. Today Tango spends most of her time with adult male, BamBam, and he is just WILD about her!

(Note: Even though Tango was used to sell Tang® and other products such as Budweiser®, none of these companies have ever contributed to her retirement or long-term care at the sanctuary.)

Tango likes to hide under large buckets and tubs used for enrichment and is also crazy about water play. She will often suds herself up if given bubbles in a bath, and she likes to color her face in front of a mirror with colored chalk. At Christmas, when all the apes receive gift-wrapped enrichment items and treats, Tango is quick to gather up as many presents as she can carry, then sit on the pile and carefully open each one.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

At age five, Mowgli still had an active working-life when his California owner decided to get out of the apes-in-entertainment business and retire all his apes to the Center’s sanctuary in Florida. Mowgli had worked in the first CareerBuilders TV ads, was a “regular” on the Dennis Miller Show, and had just finished the movie “Shaggy Dog” with Tim Allen before he arrived in Wauchula with eleven other chimpanzees in March 2005.

Mowgli arrived in the company of then, 2-year-old infant Kodua, and the two of them were inseparable. But, babies don’t raise babies so when Kodua was introduced back to her original family (Oopsie’s group), Mowgli was introduced to several older youngsters – Natsu, Brooks, and Angel.

Mowgli is very happy and friendly chimpanzee and gets along well with many of the other chimpanzees he has met here. He has lived with Kodua, Natsu, Angel, Daisy, Roger, Mickey, and Grub. Currently, he is living in Brook’s group with Brooks, Noelle, and Kenya.  For years, Mowgli’s best friend was Grub until Grub passed away in 2011, but Mowgli is now forming a bond with Brooks.  He is also very close to Kenya and they are usually found playing together or grooming in the chutes.

Mowgli enjoys swinging in his hammock while looking at photographs in magazines and he loves toys and balls. But his favorite play activity is anything involving water! He laughs while running through the sprinklers, squirting the hose on his feet, or splashing in a tub of sudsy water.

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.

The oldest of the recent arrivals, Sunshine is a venerable lady.  She spends most of her time with the two youngsters in the group (Keagan & Archie), but likes to be alone part of the day.  Sunshine occasionally shows her grumpy side, but we’ve also found her to be playful with the two younger orangutans as well as her caregivers! She is smart, perceptive, and calm

Frames USA is hosting a Charity art show featuring the artwork of the apes at the Center for Great Apes.  Due to the success of the opening night, and many requests, we are extending the time that we will be exhibiting the artwork for one more month.  Visit our gallery located at 6822 SW 40th Street, Miami, FL 33155.  We have also made the artwork available online.  Call us for more information:  305-666-3355.  Visit our online store.

Come to the show and check out the artwork!  Proceeds of the sale of the art pieces go directly to the Center for Great Apes.