MIAMI, USA – The Center for Great Apes, a non-profit sanctuary for orangutans and chimpanzees based in Florida, has welcomed Sandra, the first orangutan granted legal personhood, to her new home at the sanctuary. Sandra arrived at the Center on November 5, 2019, after a month-long quarantine period at the Sedgwick County Zoo in Kansas.
Sandra gained international fame when Argentine Judge Elena Liberatori granted the orangutan legal personhood stating that animals are sentient beings, and the first right they have is our obligation to respect them. The Center for Great Apes will provide lifetime care for Sandra.
“We were honored to be selected by Judge Elena Liberatori as the home for Sandra,” stated Patti Ragan, the founder and director of the Center for Great Apes, which has a dedicated team of trained caregivers, an on-site veterinary clinic, a nutrition program that provides healthy meals, and twenty individual outdoor ape habitats surrounded by lush tropical forested land.
Sandra, now age 33, needed a permanent home after the Buenos Aires Zoo closed in 2016. Since Sandra was designated with legal personhood status by Judge Elena Liberatori in an Argentine court case in 2015, she was then able to be moved to a new location by the courts. Liberatori selected the Center for Great Apes, the only accredited orangutan sanctuary in North America, as the preferred home for Sandra.
“Sandra is very sweet and inquisitive,” reports Ragan, “She was shy when she first arrived, but once she saw the swings, toys, and grassy areas in her new home, she went to explore,” reports Ragan, “She has met her caregivers here and is adjusting well to the new climate, environment, and the other great apes at the Center. This is the first time in over a decade that Sandra has had the opportunity to meet other orangutans, and she will meet them when she chooses. It is a new freedom for her, and once we are grateful to provide.”
The Center for Great Apes is home to 22 orangutans including Sandra and 31 chimpanzees rescued or retired from circuses, stage shows, roadside attractions, labs, and the exotic pet trade. The sanctuary is known for its innovative approach to caring for primates. In addition to providing a life with dignity, the sanctuary is designed to allow the apes options and choices of space and companions. The tall habitats are three and four stories (32-40 ft.) in height, and the apes can stroll through the woods through the mile-long aerial trailway system towards various habitats and see others of their species.
These elevated walkways allow the apes to explore, walk to the health clinic, interact with one another, and change habitats. The apes are provided with many enrichment activities, a vital component to their care, as they are highly intelligent and creative.
Patti Ragan and the Center for Great Apes’ Board of Directors wish to acknowledge and thank the Argentine and Buenos Aires government staff members, Judge Elena Liberatori and staff, Ecoparque staff and caregivers, and the Sedgewick County Zoo for their help and efforts to provide Sandra with a sanctuary home.
