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For three weeks in 1984, Patti Ragan traipsed through the rainforests of Borneo, collecting ape feces, drying it out in the sun and poking through it for the seeds that helped researchers identify what the apes were eating in the wild. That short volunteer trip opened Patti’s eyes to the needs of the great apes and forever changed the direction of her life.

With a winding maze of chutes and walkways woven throughout the treetops, the Center for Great Apes is a charitable organization created to provide sanctuary for chimpanzees and orangutans that have retired from the entertainment industry, completed research, or formerly served as pets.