Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative
| Formation | September 28, 2004 |
|---|---|
| Type | Sanctuary |
| Legal status | 501(c)(3) |
| Purpose | understanding the origins and future of culture, language, tools and intelligence |
| Headquarters | USA |
| Location | |
| Website | http://apeinitiative.org/ |
Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative is a great ape sanctuary and scientific research facility in Des Moines, Iowa. The facility was announced in 2002 and received its first ape residents in 2004, conceived of as the Great Ape Trust, or Iowa Primate Learning Sanctuary, launched in part by the primatologist Sue Savage-Rumbaugh and Des Moines businessman Ted Townsend. Renamed in 2013, it is currently home to a colony of six bonobos involved in non-invasive interdisciplinary studies of their cognitive and communicative capabilities. Ape Initiative is now supported by Kennesaw State University.