Bella started her life working in Hollywood and was in the movie Jennie when she was still an infant. She was worked in various TV shows and advertisements, including the original advertising campaign for CareerBuilders, an employment company seen during the Super Bowl in 2004.
She arrived at the Center in 2005 with a group of other Hollywood chimpanzees (including her older sister, Maggie, and her younger brother, Mowgli) who were retired from the movie and television business. Today at the sanctuary, Bella's constant companions are Maggie, Ellie, Angel, twins Jonah and Jacob, and often the youngster Stryker. She particularly likes playing with the twins and frequently tries to get tickle sessions or games of "chase" going with Jonah.
The ever-inventive Bella makes up games that usually involve playing with water. After digging a hole in the sand, she fills a cup with water repeatedly and dumps each cupful into the hole, producing a giant wet sandpit that she then splashes around in. She also loves running through sprinklers when they are set up outside her habitat.
