{"id":653,"date":"2026-05-09T15:01:33","date_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:01:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=653"},"modified":"2026-05-09T15:01:33","modified_gmt":"2026-05-09T15:01:33","slug":"where-is-michael-jacksons-chimp-bubbles-the-florida-retirement-of-a-hollywood-legend","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=653","title":{"rendered":"Where is Michael Jackson\u2019s chimp Bubbles? The Florida retirement of a Hollywood legend"},"content":{"rendered":"<div> <!-- --> <!-- --><p><span><strong>WAUCHULA, Fla.<\/strong> &#8211; <\/span>The <i>Michael<\/i> film is currently shattering box office records, and its massive success has many fans asking: what ever happened to the King of Pop\u2019s famous chimpanzee, Bubbles?<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=649\">Utah Supreme Court justice resigns amid probe into alleged relationship with redistricting attorney<\/a><\/p> <p>The backstory:<\/p> <!-- --><h2><strong>From Global Spotlight to the Sunshine State<\/strong><\/h2> <!-- --><div><\/div> <!-- --><p>Adopted by Michael Jackson as a baby in the mid-1980s, Bubbles was more than just a pet; he became a permanent fixture in 80s pop culture. However, by the late 1990s, the small chimp had matured into a powerful adult ape. After a stay at his trainer\u2019s compound, Bubbles was eventually moved to the Center for Great Apes in Wauchula, Florida, in 2005.<\/p> <!-- --><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-651\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d78577008261b38923f311dce7217eb7-768x432.webp\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d78577008261b38923f311dce7217eb7-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d78577008261b38923f311dce7217eb7-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/d78577008261b38923f311dce7217eb7.webp 932w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n <\/div> <!-- --><p>Now 43 years old, Bubbles is enjoying a peaceful retirement in the company of other apes. Patti Ragan, the founder of the sanctuary, notes that while Jackson had hoped to visit Bubbles in Florida, he never got the chance.<\/p> <!-- --><p>What they&#8217;re saying:<\/p> <!-- --><p>&#8220;I know Michael wanted to visit bubbles here, but he was in Europe at the time, and when he came back, I think I heard from the grapevine he was hoping to come for a visit, but that&#8217;s about the time he passed,&#8221; shared Ragan.\u00a0<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=646\">Former middle school teacher charged with indecency with a child in Montgomery County<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><h2><strong>Life at the Sanctuary<\/strong><\/h2> <!-- --><p>While LaToya Jackson visited the sanctuary in 2010, Ragan clarifies that the star of the new biopic, Jaafar Jackson, has not yet met the ape\u2014despite what AI-generated photos on social media might suggest.<\/p> <!-- --><p>&#8220;He didn&#8217;t come to visit bubbles. And I mean, he would be welcome, but I don&#8217;t think he even knew that Bubbles was alive,&#8221; added Ragan.<\/p> <!-- --><div>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-652\" height=\"432\" src=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3aef506843826e669291b0f42430ee14-768x432.webp\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3aef506843826e669291b0f42430ee14-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3aef506843826e669291b0f42430ee14-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/05\/3aef506843826e669291b0f42430ee14.webp 932w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n <div><p><span>Courtesy: The Center for Great Apes<\/span> <!-- --><\/p> <!-- --><\/div><\/div> <!-- --><p>Ragan believes Bubbles likely shared a very close bond with the late singer.\u00a0<\/p> <!-- --><p>&#8220;Yes, because great apes are, they&#8217;re anthropoids, meaning man like that&#8217;s the word. They&#8217;re very much like humans. They&#8217;re our closest relatives, chimpanzees. And so the interaction with people can be very strong and very bonding,&#8221; she explained.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/houstonmovingjournal.com\/?p=643\">Man shot during fight with son at Houston gas station, police say<\/a><\/p> <!-- --><h2><strong>The Cost of Care<\/strong><\/h2> <!-- --><p>Today, Bubbles&#8217; life is focused on enrichment and health. His care involves:<\/p> <!-- --><ul><li><span>A dedicated nutrition staff provides a variety of fresh vegetables, fruits, and leafy greens.<\/span><\/li><li><span>It costs over $30,000 annually to care for chimpanzees at the sanctuary.<\/span><\/li><li><span>The Michael Jackson Estate continues to pay for Bubbles\u2019 lifelong care.<\/span><\/li><\/ul> <!-- --> <!-- --> <!-- --> <\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Michael film is currently shattering box office records, and its massive success has many fans asking: what ever happened to the King of Pop\u2019s famous chimpanzee, Bubbles?<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":650,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99,8,40],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-653","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment","category-news","category-pets-and-animals"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.5 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Where is Michael Jackson\u2019s chimp Bubbles? 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