Sanctuary trying to revamp itself

An ambitious rebuilding plan aims to transform the Chimp Farm into a premier primate facility.

By ROBERT FARLEY

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 1, 2000

PALM HARBOR -- As a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, Clearwater architect Robert Herberich had heard of the Chimp Farm's reputation and always made a point to avoid it.

"I have never liked the idea of animals being caged up," Herberich said.

He'd also heard the U.S. Department of Agriculture revoked the Chimp Farm's license to exhibit animals after four surprise inspections between November 1995 and April 1998 revealed rusty, small and dirty cages.

But a building contractor friend whose wife is a volunteer at the facility on Alt. U.S. 19 persuaded Herberich to go check it out.

"I went there with an open mind," Herberich said.

He left convinced the facility, though in need of a major overhaul, was the best option for the chimpanzees housed there.

"These animals have no place else to go," he said.

Since September, Herberich and others have been working on plans for a new facility, all as volunteers.

It has been a challenging, one-of-a-kind project, Herberich said, and more work than he bargained for, but he hopes the plans will kick-start fundraising for the new facility.

They'd better, say officials with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. On Friday, inspectors with the state agency visited the facility, now called the Suncoast Primate Sanctuary, and issued a warning that many of its chimpanzee cages are undersized, according to new state regulations.

Barry Cook, wildlife inspection field supervisor, said the warning was issued to ensure renovation plans move forward.

Provided they see "dirt flying" and work continues in earnest, Cook said, the warning will go away. Otherwise, he said, fines will follow.

"If they are working at it steadily, it would be unreasonable of us to put it in a criminal situation," Cook said. "We just want to get things happening."

Cook noted that inspectors on Friday found that a new bear cage and a baboon cage -- both of which meet new state standards -- had been added to the facility.

Although county building permits have been delayed pending further information, the existence of blueprints for renovations is encouraging, Cook said.

"They appear to be exactly what the doctor ordered," Cook said.

The key, as always, he said, is that the non-profit group actually moves toward construction of those plans.

Fundraising remains the sanctuary's biggest obstacle, Herberich said. It's sometimes difficult to solicit donations, he said, because in the absence of visible construction, "some people think nothing's being done."

That, together with delays inherent in using volunteer labor, has slowed Project Rebuild, Herberich said.

"We were supposed to have everything built right now," he said.

They hope donations will begin to come in at a steadier clip "once people realize it's a real thing and not just talk."

Cook said the state will not tolerate long delays due to slow fundraising.

"A lack of funds is not an acceptable excuse for us," Cook said.

Bob and Mae Noell founded the Chimp Farm in 1954 as a winter home for their traveling ape show. During the 1950s and early 1960s, the two toured the Northeast and mid-Atlantic states performing a show that was highlighted by boxing chimpanzees.

After they retired to Palm Harbor in 1971, they developed a reputation for taking in abandoned, old and sick animals, mostly apes and monkeys. The sanctuary now is home to 27 chimpanzees, three orangutans, two gorillas, 21 monkeys, a bear, two turtles, two alligators and two goats.

Proponents of the facility argue it is the only option for these animals, which zoos and other respected sanctuaries will not want or have room for.

Jennifer O'Connor, a cruelty caseworker with PETA who calls the conditions at the sanctuary "substandard and deplorable," disputes that.

"There are a number of good primate sanctuaries," she said. "Take some of the worst-case animals and let them live out their days in comfort. Maybe not all can be placed, but some could be."

Before it was closed to the public last year, she said, PETA received more complaints about the Chimp Farm than any other roadside zoo in the country.

O'Connor is skeptical the non-profit group that runs the sanctuary will ever follow through on building the new facility.

"How may years have they been saying that, year after year after year?" she said. "This goes back decades. I mean, come on. It breaks my heart to hear the same old refrain."

O'Connor thinks the point is moot anyway, because the USDA has permanently revoked the sanctuary's license to exhibit the animals.

"I am really flummoxed about the whole proposal, since their license has been revoked," she said.

Sanctuary attorney Tom Dandar said the group hopes to win an appeal of the USDA's decision in court. Dandar says the organization never was properly notified of the violations or given a fair opportunity to try to refute them.

"The animals were well cared for, that's the important thing," he said.

Herberich said he hopes to resubmit an application for a building permit later this week. Excavation work also should begin shortly as a visible sign of progress, he said.

"We can start this thing," Herberich said. "We don't have to get the entire thing built at once."

The plans call for an indoor-outdoor facility for the primates. A prospectus prepared last summer states that the facility will become "the premier sanctuary in the Southeast for primate conservation and study." Facilities would include an on-site library and lecture hall, hidden viewing platforms and a learning center.

Herberich said he sought input from officials at the Lowry Park Zoo and another chimpanzee facility in Maryland to help design the plans. But the facility will be unique, he said, a cross between a barn and a nursing home for animals.

He estimates it may cost nearly $1-million for the new building, significantly more than the $200,000 being sought in the current fundraising campaign.

Herberich said he has developed all kinds of buildings over the years, from homes to commercial and industrial buildings.

"This one takes the cake, believe me," he said.

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