[2] She was born on 26 November 1937[3][4] in a circus caravan in Kentish Town, London[2] to Jimmy Chipperfield and his wife Rose (née Purchase; 1912–2006).
[5] Chipperfield's Circus was managed by Jimmy's father at the time and control later passed to his older brother.
In 1955 her father broke away from the family circus and, after a brief spell at farming and managing other shows, he and Mary began providing animals for film work.
Nonetheless, the famous legend of the Beast of Bodmin began almost at once after the alleged release in 1978, and has persisted with occasional reported sightings ever since.
In April 1998 an infant chimpanzee named Trudy had been seized by police and taken to the 'Monkey World' sanctuary after being repeatedly kicked, beaten and made to sleep in a tiny box.