WAUCHULA, FL — Sandra, the first orangutan in the world granted legal personhood, never got to choose anything for herself. But now that she’s living at the Center for Great Apes, a 130-acre sanctuary in Florida, Sandra has made it clear that she has selected a new friend.
That’s Jethro, a 31-year-old male orangutan. Like many of the 21 other orangutans and 31 chimpanzees living out their lives at the Center for Great Apes, Jethro worked in entertainment. He’s a gentle, shy fellow and a great companion for Sandra, said Patti Ragan, the sanctuary’s founder and director.
Sandra, whose 34th birthday was celebrated on Valentine’s Day, had lived alone for a decade at a zoo in Buenos Aires, Argentina, prior to her move to Florida.
In a landmark 2015 ruling, Argentine Judge Ellen Liberatori gave Sandra non-human personhood and ordered her release from the Buenos Aires Zoo, writing that the orangutan should “spend the rest of her life in a more dignified situation.”
“With that ruling I wanted to tell society something new, that animals are sentient beings and that the first right they have is our obligation to respect them,” Liberatori told The Associated Press.
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But without an alternative, Sandra remained at the antiquated zoo — which closed to the public in 2016 — until last fall.
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As the only accredited orangutan sanctuary in North America, Ragan’s Center for Great Apes was selected as Sandra’s new home. She arrived there in November and was immediately curious about the other orangutans living there.
“Sandra appeared most interested in Jethro, and our caregivers felt he was a perfect choice because of his close age, calm demeanor and gentle nature,” Ragan said in a news release. “Sandra still observes and follows Jethro from a distance while they are in the process of getting to know and trust each other. But they are living harmoniously in the same habitat spaces as they continue to gain confidence in their relationship.”
Sandra and Jethro spent time together at her special birthday celebration on Valentine’s Day, replete with gifts wrapped in pink and red and special orangutan-diet-approved treats.
Jethro has been living at the Center for Great Apes for about three years. He was born at a Miami breeding facility and has two younger siblings, Harry and BamBam, also living at the Wauchula sanctuary.
To see all the photos of Sandra’s birthday party, go to the Center for Great Apes Facebook page.