Michael Jackson's famously close bond with his pet chimpanzee Bubbles has been cast in a troubling new light, with claims the animal was removed from Neverland Ranch after a series of disturbing incidents involving visiting children.

Once a constant companion to Michael Jackson, Bubbles the chimpanzee is now 43 and living at the Center for Great Apes in Florida. The sanctuary recently shared an update and photo, describing him as gentle, curious, and thriving among fellow chimps.

Bubbles is safe and aging quietly, but the loudest new photos are fake and the one person everyone expects still has not shown up.

Bubbles, the 42-year-old chimpanzee once inseparable from Michael Jackson's glittering orbit, has traded global fame and late-night hotel parties for an early bedtime and hammock naps at a sanctuary in Florida — as he is set to be portrayed in an ...

Michael Jackson and his pet chimpanzee Bubbles at the Neverland Ranch, circa 1986; Sabu, Michael Jackson's tiger at the The Shambala Preserve in Acton, Calif. His controversial estate, Neverland Ranch,