ResilientMari is an orangutan who has no arms. Born at the Emory National Primate Research Center in Atlanta, she lost both her arms at just 12 weeks old when her mom, in a very agitated state, damaged Mari’s limbs beyond repair. Despite this trauma, Mari was sent to Georgia State University where she was used in language and cognition studies for 15 years before arriving at the Center for Great Apes (CGA), a Florida sanctuary and longtime AAVS Sanctuary Fund grant recipient. Mari doesn’t let her disability slow her down one bit. Her caregivers say she moves with such ease and grace that it’s easy to forget she’s missing her arms. Mari is amazingly resilient and recently celebrated her 44th birthday. Happy birthday, Mari! CGA is very active on social media, so check them out and meet some of the other orangutans and chimpanzees living there.
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