The loneliest chimp on the planet may finally get the chance to go ape with members of his own kind.

Ponso, the sole survivor of a group of 20 chimpanzees subjected to years of painful medical testing on behalf of the New York Blood Center on the Upper East Side, has been living alone on a tiny island off the Ivory Coast for almost three years.

But primate expert Estelle Raballand says it’s time for the 40-something year-old chimp to have more fun than a barrel of monkeys — and is now trying to get him relocated to a simian sanctuary.

Last month, she performed a different kind of testing on the chimp than he’s used to — one that will actually be to his benefit.

If his HIV, anthrax and tuberculosis results come up clean — so as not to endanger his comrades — he’ll finally get his ticket off the island.

“He is a gentle chimpanzee craving attention,” Raballand told Barcroft Media.

Ponzo was one of 20 chimps, ranging in age from seven to 11 years old, that were part of hepatitis research decades ago conducted at the Liberian Institute for Biomedical Research for the Manhattan blood bank.

As part of the research, the chimps — many captured from the wild — were chained by their necks to the ground, according to The Dodo. The animals endured dozens of biopsies and anesthetizations, and one lost an eye when researchers shot her in the face with a dart, the site reported.

When testing on Ponso and his group was done in 1983, the animals were dumped on a string of barren islands near Liberia.

In less than a year, 11 of the apes died.

Similar research on dozens of other chimps continued until about 10 years ago, and up until last year—when it cut off its funding — NYCB was paying for food drop-offs and vaccinations.

“We attempted for more than five years to find a solution for the care, maintenance and feeding of these animals,” NYBC wrote on its Web site. “No one stepped up.” The center did not immediately return a query from The Post.

Ponso and his family — a mate and two offspring —were the only survivors from his group until his kin died three years ago — leaving him the last chimp standing.

Two years later, Raballand came into Ponzo’s life. She has been working on socializing him since last year, providing him with plenty of nourishment and TLC — in the form of frequent hugs.

His only other chum has been a local villager, Germain Jamal, who regularly brings him water and bananas.

Last year, Jamal started a fundraiser called SOS Ponso which has already raised nearly $50,000 to help pay for food.

Raballand is hopeful that Ponso will be the first of many abandoned chimps she’ll be able to help.

“We view Ponso as an ambassador,” she told Barcroft.