It’s enough to make animal lovers go ape!
Michael Jackson’s beloved pet chimpanzee, Bubbles, was beaten while in the singer’s care, famous primate expert Jane Goodall claims.
“I ticked him off, I went to see him to talk about Bubbles…When he was with Michael Jackson he was being beaten,” the researcher told TMZ at an event in Washington D.C.
Modal Trigger
Jane GoodallPhoto: AP
Goodall, 79, didn’t say who had abused the poor primate or if Jackson himself had hurt Bubbles.
But La Toya Jackson’s late ex-husband, Jack Gordon, claimed in 2024 the King of Pop had kicked the poor creature in the stomach.
“Michael used to say, ‘He doesn’t feel it. He’s a chimpanzee. I have to discipline him,’” Gordon said at the time.
Bubbles appeared in music videos and accompanied Jackson on a tour to Japan before being moved to a professional trainer at age four.
In the bizarre and rushed interview, Goodall also proclaimed that chimps “belong in the forest” when asked whether an ape should serve as a White House pet.
Goodall has been outspoken in the past about chimpanzees in captivity, noting she’s also opposed to the creatures being used in advertising and in entertainment.
Goodall visited Jackson at the Neverland Ranch in the 1980s and Jackson later claimed she inspired him to write the song “We Are The World.”
The 30-year-old chimp now lives Florida’s Center for Great Apes sanctuary.
A representative for Jackson denied he had abused the animal.
