Ralph Helfer

Ralph Helfer (born April 9, 1931) is an American ethologist, creator of Marine World/Africa USA, and author of books about animals.

Early years He was born in Chicago, Illinois and had one sister, Sally. In 1942, his mother left her husband Sam and moved with her children to Hollywood, where they settled in the Green Apartments, one block off Hollywood Boulevard.

Career In 1955, he purchased the Vasquez Rocks property to train animals, which he called Nature's Haven. He married Toni Ringo in 1963. They had a daughter, Tana Helfer. In 1963, the property was cut in half by the Antelope Valley Freeway, so they relocated to Soledad Canyon and bought of land to build a new ranch, naming it Africa U.S.A. Africa U.S.A. was a training compound and a provider of animals for Hollywood. Some of its animals were Clarence, the cross-eyed lion; Judy, the chimp in Daktari; and Ben (originally named Bruno), the bear in Gentle Ben. The compound was also used as a location for shows such as Daktari and the original Star Trek episode "Shore Leave". During this period, he owned the "human" chimp Oliver. Helfer was cleared of all accusations except one concerning the death of a tiger due to an overdose by the veterinarian, not Helfer. The matter was supposed to go to the Supreme Court, but never did. Helfer left the business because of the imminent financial pressure of the suit.

Media In 1981, Helfer wrote and produced the adventure film Savage Harvest.

In the 1990s, he began a successful career as a writer. Most of his books are nonfiction life stories of noted animals. He now lives in Los Angeles and Kenya, where he leads safari tours with his company Eden International Safaris and Treks.

Toni Ringo Helfer (d. March 20, 2012) published the book The Gentle Jungle (Brigham Young University Press - 1980 - ). She made the cover of TV Guide in 1968. Ralph and Toni later divorced but remained best of friends.

Tana Helfer played the role of Kristie in Savage Harvest and was the subject of the book When you fight the tiger by Joan Hewett (Little, Brown and Company - 1984 - ).