Sam (orangutan)

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Sam is an orangutan who starred in the movie Dunston Checks In, filmed in 1995 and released to theaters on January 12, 1996.

When he was just 18 months old, he was sold to animal trainers by a breeder along with another orangutan named Geri. Both Geri and Sammy appeared in a number of films and television shows including The Flintstones and the remake of The Planet of the Apes. After appearing in Dunston Checks in, Geri and Sammy were retired and bred, producing one son by the name of Jam.^[1]

Eventually in 2004, Sammy and Geri found their way to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, where they are enjoying their retirement from showbiz. They were even reunited with their son, Jam, who joined them at the Center a short time after their arrival. They live in a domed habitat with many activities designed to enrich their lives and provide them with as natural a setting as possible. They are free to roam around the habitat through an elevated 3000 foot tunnel system^[2] that allows them to run, climb and visit wooded areas and a creek.