19-year-old Ripley was once a Hollywood star (in movies Ace Ventura, Junior, and television’s Jerry Seinfeld Show ), but he ended up living in a tiny unaccredited zoo in Nebraska after he grew too large to work with actors. He lived there with three other former entertainment and pet chimpanzees for less than two years until he and his 3 companions escaped through a door left open. Ripley and his friends were chased down by the staff, and three of them were shot and killed. When Ripley saw his three companions shot, he ran back into his cage, closed himself inside, and survived.

Within a day or two after his friends were killed, he was shipped out to a private breeder in Missouri where he lived for the next three years. But Ripley didn’t breed the females there, so was he was shipped back to California to another animal trainer compound where he was to be used as a breeder again. But after a year at that compound, the trainer agreed to send Ripley to live at the Center for Great Apes’ sanctuary where many of his original companions and siblings from Hollywood have been retired.

Ripley arrived at the Center in December 2009 and after 30-60 days in “new arrival quarantine” he will be reunited with his family and companions that he once lived with nearly a decade ago. When Ripley has finished his current quarantine period at the Center, he'll have the opportunity to meet again his sisters (Maggie & Bella), his brother Mowgli, and several old friends (Sam, Bubbles, Jessie, & Boma).

And, even though Ripley never bred while he was in Nebraska, in Missouri, or most recently at the California compound… he did mate with Jessie and sired one infant at his original Hollywood home seven years ago when he was only 12. His only offspring is our little Kodua, age 7, who arrived five years ago from California.

We can’t wait for Ripley to meet her!