The Gentle Jungle

by Toni Ringo Helfer

The compelling, true story of Ralph and Toni Helfer and their life among Hollywood's favorite animal celebrities, including Gentle Ben, Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, Judy the Chimp, the noble Stallion Fury, and Modoc the Elephant. The Helfers owned and operated the famous Africa U.S.A. on the outskirts of Los Angeles. In the early 1960's they pioneered a revolutionary method of working with exotic animals called "Affection Training." The Helfers' Wild Animal Behavioral Study Center (est. 1964) was the only school of it's kind where people came from all over the world to attend classes with hands-on animal training experience.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1980

Reviews

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was very good, and very old!! I bought it at a flea market on impulse for 25 cents, and I'm glad about my purchase :] It was full with tons of small, cute stories of the lucky, beautiful, wild animals the Helfer family has received, and I found great happiness in those stories. They were very touching and made me laugh and smile. There was sad parts too though :o I loved how they received these sad, lonely, and disrespected animals, turned them into happy, free-loving animals again, and find out later on they were once great, loved animals, who did many different things,and lived a wonderful life before coming to finish their life in the best place where they could have..Helfer's place. They truely helped many animals, and are very great people for that.

[Jennifer Morefield · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this story about Africa USA and Toni and Ralph Ringo who are rescuers and trainers of animals, usually wild and exotics. Ralph developed a way to train animal by using affection. They had great success and provided animals for televisions shows and movies. It was a great story that I enjoyed. I found it among my mother's books. An old story but a good one.

[Rita · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book just didn't do anything for me. I like biographies and the subject matter was attractive, but the book was just a recitation of facts...I was not drawn into the story at all. I had to force myself to keep finish reading it.

[Shazza Maddog · Rating 5 out of 5]

I hadn't thought about this novel in years, but then, I haven't read it in years.

At any rate, the story is about a young woman and her sister, rescuing a pair of bear cubs, and taking them to a man who's known in the area to 'talk to animals'. When Toni goes to meet him (with the cubs in the back seat of her car), she's struck by how amazing he is - and how incredible the animals he lives with are.

Toni - and the reader - go on an adventure with Ralph Helfer, getting to meet his animals and how he lived his life as a Hollywood wild animal wrangler, using gentle techniques.

The stories within are about Fury, the beautiful black stallion who'd been the star of the television series of the same name, abused and left to starve by his owner until Ralph rescued him; Nala, the lioness who raised a pack of wolf cubs; Zamba, the lion who ruled the family with love; Modoc, the half-blind elephant and other animals who lived in harmony with the Helfers and each other.

Ralph has written additional books, about Modoc and Zamba, which I have wanted to read for some time. I'm hoping I can find them.

[Diane Wachter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Toni Ringo Helfer, RDC-M, #2, 1981, @ 1980, 1983. The compelling true story of Ralph and Toni Helfer and their life among Hollywood's favorite animal celebrities, including Gentel Ben, Clarence the Cross-Eyed Lion, Judy the Chimp, the noble stallion Fury, and Modoc the Elephant. Their compound, Aftica USA in southern California bought out Marine World when it wen bankrupt in Redwood City and they created Marine World/Africa USA. Good.

[Lee · Rating 5 out of 5]

An old book that I acquired in an old Reader's Digest Condensed Book. Fast moving but very interesting. Of course, it had high drama with sadness but also successes. With the passage of time it's possible to see where characters are years later. The divorce of Ralph and Tori was surprising especially since Ralph remarried. Then to see Tori's death was a shock.

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A powerful collection of stories about the life, the animals, and the people living at Africa U.SA., a park for wildlife working in the film industry. Full of compassion, drama, and featuring a cast of wonderful characters, human and animal alike. Several of the stories have stuck with me, even years later.

[Johnr66 · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine story about Toni and Ralph Helfer and the animals used in Hollywood. Some might be put off by using animals in such ways, but the Helfers' "Affection training" method was the kind way of doing it. The book covers a lot of ground (mostly through the 1960s) and if you watched television then or at least the reruns of the old shows, you probably recall many of the animal stars.