Ralph Helfer (born April 9, 1931 in Chicago, Illinois) is a notable American animal behaviorist, creator of Marine World/Africa USA, and writer of books about animals.He was born in Chicago 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.In 1955 he purchased a 1,500-acre (6.1 km2) Vasquez Rocks property to train animals, which he called Nature's Haven.