The Connecticut woman viciously mauled by a 200-pound chimp remained in critical condition this morning and faces "life-changing, if not life-threatening" injuries to her face and hands, officials said.
The chimpanzee named Travis was shot dead by police in Stamford after the violent rampage Monday left a friend of its owner badly injured.
Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp, wrestled with the animal after it inexplicably attacked her friend, Charla Nash, 55.
Nash had gone to Herold's home to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, authorities said.
After the animal - who had appeared in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger - lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned armed.
"She retrieved a large butcher knife and stabbed her longtime pet numerous times in an effort to save her friend, who was really being brutally attacked," said Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin.
Nash remains in critical condition after suffering what Stamford Mayor Dannel Malloy called "life-changing, if not life-threatening," injuries to her face and hands.
Her sister-in-law, Kate Nash, said Tuesday morning that Nash underwent surgery Monday night and came out of it "OK."
"It was a very brutal attack," said Stamford police Cpt. Richard Conklin, adding that the woman's "hands were mangled."
"There was no provocation that we know of. One thing that we're looking into is that we understand the chimpanzee has Lyme disease and has been ill from that, so maybe from the medications he was out of sorts. We really don't know," Conklin said.
After the 3:30 p.m. attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property until police arrived - setting up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman.
But the chimpanzee returned and went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars.
Travis knocked the mirror off a cruiser before opening its door and starting to get in, trapping the a cop.
That officer shot the chimpanzee several times, Conklin said.
The wounded chimpanzee fled the scene, but Conklin said police were able to follow the trail of his blood down a driveway, into the open door of the home, through the house and to his living quarters, where he had retreated and died of his wounds.
Herold and two officers also received minor injuries, police said.
Cops had dealt with the chimp in the past - including an incident in 2003 when he escaped from his owners' vehicle in downtown Stamford for two hours.
At the time, officers used cookies, macadamia treats and ice cream in an attempt to lure him, but subdued him only after he became too tired to resist.
At the time of the 2003 incident, police said the Herolds assured them that the chimpanzee -- who was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a glass -- was not a threat to others.
Chimps are 5 times stronger than an average human.
Also Chimps belong in the wild. Not in some cage preforming as a circus animal for other ppl to profit on.
The reason Chimps turn against ppl is to do with changeling for leadership. Eventually a chimp will learn there owner is weaker than they are and will challenge them.
I don't feel sorry for the owner i feel sorry for the chimp forced to live a life that was not natural for it.
Yup. And most people don't know that. They think they're weak and harmless. This story kinda reminds me of that tiger mauling in SF a few years back.
Gorillas i think have more understanding than chimps. The case where that girl fell into a gorillas enclosure in a zoo one of the gorillas picked up the girl and brought her to the hatch where the keepers come through to feed them.
Its just sad to see the way that woman was attacked by that chimp. I mean he practically knew how to use the toilet for crying out loud. I'm not sure if its even legal to own a chimp, unless theres a licence involved.
Its just sad to see the way that woman was attacked by that chimp. I mean he practically knew how to use the toilet for crying out loud. I'm not sure if its even legal to own a chimp, unless theres a licence involved.
Maybe the fact it could use the toilet was part of the problem. I mean look at that picture.
Does that look to you like a healthy animal living it's natural environment. Perhaps it was those conditions that drove the poor animal to insanity.
Gorillas i think have more understanding than chimps. The case where that girl fell into a gorillas enclosure in a zoo one of the gorillas picked up the girl and brought her to the hatch where the keepers come through to feed them.
I once watched a show about primate intelligence. They created a puzzle where a peanut was floating in a tube of water, and there was a cup of water on the table next to it. Human children were asked to get the peanut out of the tube. They could not figure out to poor the water into the tube to float it up, until around the age of 6-7. The adult chimps figured it out relatively easily.... which means a chimp has an intelligence level that is somewhat equivalent to a 6-7 year old human child.
Quote:
Originally Posted by RustyK94
Maybe the fact it could use the toilet was part of the problem. I mean look at that picture.
Does that look to you like a healthy animal living it's natural environment. Perhaps it was those conditions that drove the poor animal to insanity.
The chimp also had lyme disease. An illness like that can put anyone out of sorts.
Maybe the fact it could use the toilet was part of the problem. I mean look at that picture.
Does that look to you like a healthy animal living it's natural environment. Perhaps it was those conditions that drove the poor animal to insanity.
Well it doesn't seem to be. And I've heard if similar reports of animals attacking people because of the way they're treated, like training animals in the circus. Same goes for the dancing bears in Eastern Europe and parts of the Middle East.
Owner should have been responsible enough to research reversion in chimps. As stated above, very dangerous, and now her friend is fighting for her life. Shameful.
Earlier that day, the chimp was acting so agitated that Herold gave him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conkin told reporters.
weird...could Xanax and the tea caused the chimp to lose it like this?!
Maybe the chimp found out about the economic stimulus plan. Can you blame'em? It is sad he had to be shot to death, though. It's like he was playing out the movie King Kong.
Maybe the chimp found out about the economic stimulus plan. Can you blame'em? It is sad he had to be shot to death, though. It's like he was playing out the movie King Kong.
I don't know how you can even try to justifie injecting humor into this subject.
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Victim of 200 Lb. Chimp Attack Hangs Onto Life
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