Remote landscape in Florida turns home to rescued gorillas

                      

São Paulo - The famous who pose for photos cradling orangutan babies do not know that in the state of Florida center in Wauchula, a remote forest landscape is one of the most important homes of great apes in the United States.

Sanctuary for great apes founded in 1993, the Center for Great Apes is a wild area of ​​120 acres (486,000 square meters) where living species of monkeys and orangutans rescued chimpanzees and bonobos of the entertainment industry, scientific experiment laboratories, zoos and pet stores.

A selfless task for which do not favor at all the photos circulating the famous social networks like Paris Hilton, Khloe Kardashian and player James Rodriguez kissing young primates.

The scene is less innocent than it seems. In fact, it is harmful. Harmful because it undermines the efforts of international organizations trying to stop the illegal trafficking of monkeys and their use as attraction in zoos and movies.

Associations such as the Center for Great Apes claim the "dignity of primates and their right to live in their natural habitat," said Efe Patti Ragan, who, after creating the foundation, it took four years to find and acquire the land in what is now this home for animals.

"We recovered monkeys garages, warehouses, circuses, zoos, and even homes basements, many in poor health, fed to the base of pizzas and candy instead of fresh vegetables," said Patti.

First step

The rescue task of animals is only the first step on the long road to their emotional recovery and slow adaptation to their new home in the center, which houses about 100 primates in its 12 large outdoor structures.

Almost all of them said Patti, "have post-traumatic stress and behavioral problems to learn how to socialize and accept other animals."

This was the case of Bubbles (born in 1983), the most famous chimpanzee sanctuary, which belonged to Michael Jackson to complete seven years.

The center of the star for Great Apes "is very healthy. It has 33 years and lives with seven other chimps in their group, but it is the dominant male," reported with Patti satisfaction, which recalled that "when he arrived here in 2005 "coming from Los Angeles, Bubbles showed a" nervous behavior ".

The founder of the organization took the opportunity to say that, contrary to what many people think, the American singer did not leave to die any special provision or money for the care of Bubbles, and so raise funds for their care through the site CenterforGreatApes. org.

The primate center is closed to the public and maintains a very restricted access. It is an area located between trees and plants and surrounded, away from the cameras and household visits, children, tourists and schools.

But this radicalism leaves difficulties nonprofit funded exclusively through donations and the generosity of its members, for only the cost of care, medical care and feeding each animal is around US $ 20,000 a year.

But Patti keeps optimism about the progress made with the primates who live (and die) there in captivity, as the return to its natural habitat is not feasible.

The US explained that all apes supported in the center "were bred in captivity by humans, so the lack of basic skills for survival prevents the animals to live in the forest."

The childhood of these primates to the seven or eight years, passed away from attention and maternal care. Past that age, and "given the development of their physical strength, they become a problem," and their owners sell or deliver.

"What happens to them then? If they can not live without protection and still have a long life ahead, maybe even 50 or 60 years," wondered Patti.

Therefore it is essential the existence of large primates homes like this, dedicated to denounce the exploitation of animals and ensure their survival in dignified conditions, well fed and in the company of other specimens of the same species, until the end of his days.

Perhaps the same fate that might have had Harambe, the gorilla was shot dead at the Cincinnati Zoo to supposedly save the child's life that fell into his hands by the negligence of their parents.