Rocky, a 3-year-old male orangutan arrived at Great Ape Trust on July 12 with his mother Katy. The two were transferred from the Los Angeles area and is a significant move that begins to close the curtain in the U.S. on the decades-long use of orangutans in the entertainment industry.

Des Moines, Iowa – July 16, 2008 – The transfer of orangutans from a California company, providing trained animals for the entertainment and advertising industries, to Great Ape Trust of Iowa shows what can happen when groups with varied interests sit down with a mutual goal, said Animal Rescue League of Iowa (ARL) Executive Director Tom Colvin.

The agreement between Great Ape Trust and Steve Martin’s Working Wildlife “is a good example of what great things can happen when people have open dialogue, with a goal of what’s ultimately best for the welfare of animals – in this case, apes,” Colvin said.

Colvin credited both Shumaker’s diplomacy and a decision on the part of Steve and Donna Martin, owners of Working Wildlife, to get out of the orangutan entertainment business.

Among other issues involving animal protection, the ARL is involved in ongoing discussions related to the well-being of animals involved in Iowa’s pet trade. Additionally, the ARL and Great Ape Trust have worked together in the past to promote legislation that prohibits the private ownership of dangerous wild animals, including great apes and monkeys, as pets.

Katy is one of six orangutans who will be moving to Great Ape Trust from the Los Angeles area by the first of next year.

“Often, issues involving animal protection can have obstacles that make it difficult to resolve in a way that is best for the animals,” Colvin said. “However, in this situation, the successful discussions regarding the best living situation for the entertainment orangutans sends a hopeful message to other groups committed to animal welfare issues.  People can come together and they can ultimately do the right thing for animals.”

The accommodating tone of the discussions is being closely watched by other organizations with goals similar to Great Ape Trust’s. “This deal could have fallen apart 10 different times,” said Doug Cress, vice president of development of the Orangutan Conservancy, a Portland, Ore.-based organization dedicated to conservation of orangutans and their habitat.

“Every single time, Rob’s patience and a sense of purpose brought it together again. Rob, Ted Townsend (Great Ape Trust founder) and Great Ape Trust have all stepped up in a way that few organizations could or would have, without a lot of hand-wringing.”

BACKGROUND INFORMATION

Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a scientific research facility in southeast Des Moines dedicated to understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence. When completed, Great Ape Trust will be the largest great ape facility in North America and one of the first worldwide to include all four types of great ape – bonobos, chimpanzees, gorillas and orangutans – for noninvasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities.

Great Ape Trust is dedicated to providing sanctuary and an honorable life for great apes, studying the intelligence of great apes, advancing conservation of great apes and providing unique educational experiences about great apes. Great Ape Trust of Iowa is a 501(c) 3 not-for-profit organization and is certified by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).