My Nonprofit Reviews

When I became a Center for Great Apes donor, I symbolically "adopted" Kodua, a beautiful young female chimp. Little did I know that I would soon feel like I was adopted by Kodua's family. I liked Kodua because she gently played with Knuckles, a chimp with some disabilities, and her little brother, Bobby Stryker. When I went to Wauchula for a private tour of the Center for Great Apes, an older female chimp, Oopsie, was having surgery. Oopsie is Kodua's grandmother. The first male chimp I visited was Grub, who let me know he was the boss of his enclosure by doing a display and throwing things around. Grub is Kodua's uncle. I got to see Kodua and Bobby playing in the distance, but as we passed their enclosure, an adult female chimp, Jessie, began to flirt with me! Jessie is Kodua's mother. I was amazed that such an extended family exists at a great ape sanctuary. I've only named a few chimps from that family, which is just as large, and probably more connected and functional, than my own extended human family. I have since learned that chimps and humans are so very similar that we should treat chimps, gorillas and orangutans with dignity and respect. The Center for Great Apes gives its primate guests the humane treatment that they deserve. I applaud them for their efforts, and I am honored to continue my financial support.

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