Since the King of Pop passed, many have wondered what ever became of his beloved pet chimp, Bubbles. In fact, the fate of Bubbles illustrates what should happen with many exotic pets. When Bubbles became too strong to safely live as a pet, he went to a wild animal preserve where he lives now. While the recent saga of Travis the Chimp illustrated what can go wrong with keeping a wild animal as a pet, Michael & Bubbles show us how the relationship can end well.

When people think of Bubbles, they tend to see him as yet another of the pop icon's eccentricities: dressing Bubbles up as a child, taking him to Liz Taylor's house for tea, teaching him to "moonwalk"...

Though keeping a wild animal as a pet in the first place is generally a bad idea, in the end Michael Jackson did right by Bubbles, and by those who could have been hurt by Bubbles. According to the LA Times, with Bubbles becoming more aggressive as he grew up, the chimp transitioned from Neverland Ranch to his trainer's ranch in 2002. Jackson reportedly feared for the safety of young Prince Michael II. In 2005, Bubbles went to the Center for Great Apes in central Florida, where he lives today. Here is Bubbles' resident webpage.

Bites and scratches from dogs and other animals are infecting people with an antibiotic-resistant strain of staph bacteria, a new study finds. Now is a good time for dog owners and parents to take steps to prevent the occurrence of dog and animal bites.

In hospitals and veterinarian offices across the country, there is a rising number in cases of meticillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections shared between pets and humans, according to the study Bite-Related and Septic Syndromes Caused by Cats and Dogs, published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.

These MRSA infections are commonly spread through bites and scratches from animals, but they may also be spread from humans to animals, according to the Seattle Times: "Dogs used for hospital and nursing-home visits test positive for MRSA more often then other animals. And that could be because MRSA can be contracted from people who have open wounds or scratches."

A lawsuit filed by two brothers who survived a 2007 tiger attack at the San Francisco Zoo has been settled for $900,000, and the agreement likely defused a legal escalation involving new allegations against local law enforcement and the city over the incident.

On December 25, 2007, a 243-pound tiger jumped out of its enclosure at the San Francisco Zoo and killed Carlos Sousa Jr., who was 17 years old at the time. The two plaintiffs who settled with the zoo last week -- Kulbir Dhaliwal, now 25 years old, and Amritpal Dhaliwal, now 20 -- were both injured in the incident.

The pair's lawsuit accused the zoo and its employees of negligence on a number of fronts, including the height of the wall in the enclosure from which the tiger escaped, which was four feet lower than the height recommended by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

Each year over 4.7 million people are bitten by dogs, with about one in five bites requiring medical attention, according to estmates from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And a recent study from the University at Buffalo finds that dog bite incidents increase as the weather gets warmer, so now is a great time for everyone -- dog owners, parents, and kids -- to learn more about staying safe and preventing dog bites.

Top 5 Dog Bite Prevention Tips - For Dog Owners

1. Do Your Research. Before you purchase or adopt a dog, look into the breed's background and characteristics in terms of aggressiveness, behavior around children, and other factors that might make the dog a good or bad fit for your household and lifestyle.

2. Spay/Neuter Your Dog. Research shows that a spayed or neutered dog is less likely to fight with other dogs, be overly territorial, and exhibit other kinds of aggressive behavior.