I spent nine years caring for great apes in two different settings.  I first met orangutans and bonobos in Davenport, Iowa where I am from.  I worked for a cognitive research facility as an ape caretaker and a research assistant for voluntary non-invasive cognitive research.  I learned a lot about the science of animal behavior and began training apes for husbandry behaviors.  When two of the orangutans needed new homes, I followed them to a sanctuary in Florida called the Center for Great Apes.  There I cared for orangutans and chimpanzees and among many other tasks, trained apes for more advanced husbandry tasks like voluntary blood draws, voluntary injection, and cardiac Dopler readings.  I was fascinated with training and it quickly became one of my favorite activities with the apes that I worked with.