Chimpanzee that mauled his owner

[Cindyloo]

OMG! Has anyone heard this story?

It's awful!

I don't have a link for it, just have been hearing a lot about it on the news programs.

[Jules]

I was watching this yesterday while I was at the dentist's office....seems the chimp actually went up to a police car and was trying to get into the vehicle with an officer, so he shot the chimp...


The owner....she stabbed him repeatedly with a kitchen knife....while he was attacking that poor lady. Can you imagine having to stab your pet?

The whole thing is so tragic....he went back into the house and got in his cage and died from his wounds...

[DKLA]

It's been all over the news -- horrific!

Guess he chewed off her hands and her face!

:(

:(

:(

[Cindyloo]

It's a TERRIBLE tragic thing to happen. It really bothered me.

Now, here's my opinion....

I don't believe in keeping "wild" animals as pets. They belong in the wild.

I know she raised him from a baby, but I just feel that before he got so big and mature, *I* feel she should have maybe put him in a zoo or introduced him to the wild at a younger age.

My heart goes out to everyone involved in this.

[beachreader]

I saw it. It is sad.

What a horrible thing to happen to the neighbor that tried to help her get it back in; like Joy said yesterday though had I got that call to help I might have had to say that I was in the shower.

The owner should have known better than to keep this animal as if it were domesticated. I get that it was smart, could bathe itself, let itself out the door with keys etc but what happened to it yesterday usually happens at 6 or 7 years and and he was 14 I believe. It was a ticking time bomb waiting to go off, was going to go off, and she knew that. I think like so many that keep dangerous animals as "pets" that they forget and/or think that it will not happen with theirs.

A professional in this said that when they yelled at it and told it to go back in the house it was it's natural instinct that came out(that begins happening at 6 or 7) like a switch turned on saying you are not going to tell me what to do I am the alpha I am boss. When they get like this they rip their own siblings, children, etc apart. Again she knew this and put herself and her neighborhood in danger.

I also feel bad for the animal because it didn't know better and was stabbed, shot, ran away then came home and curled up and died. =(

I hold the owner responsible.

[Monicauf1]

I feel bad for the chimp, chimps are not pets and should never be allowed to be kept as pets, I feel bad for the owner too, but at the same time she chose to keep a wild animal as a pet. I will never understand why people think they can keep a wild animal as pets, about a year or two ago down here there was an owner who was hurt by his tiger, he said the tiger was a pet and not wild, to me that is BS- certain animals are not meant to be pets. Agreed with everything you said Cindy, hopefully there will ba law to change this, keeping a chimp should never have been allowed.

[Scoops]

I saw video of the chimp on tv last night....sad story all around. He was like a member of the family. They said he knew the visitor, but that she had changed her hairstyle and he didn't recognize her.

STAMFORD -- A woman whose 200-pound chimpanzee attacked her friend Monday afternoon tried to stop the attack by stabbing her pet primate with a butcher knife, police said.

After police arrived to clear the way for emergency medical workers to treat the critically injured friend, the chimp, Travis, revived and opened the door of the police cruiser.

The officer inside fired several shots, killing the chimp.

The owner of the chimp, Sandra Herold, and two officers also were hurt, though the extent of their injuries wasn't clear.

Travis was known in Stamford for years because he rode around in trucks belonging to Herold's towing company, Desire Me Motors in Stamford.

The attack occurred outside Herold's home at 241 Rock Rimmon Road.

The body of Travis, a pet chimpanzee, who attacked two women and was shot and killed by a Stamford Police Department officer, is under a sheet in the back of a Stamford Animal Control truck at the Herold residence on Rock Rimmon Road in Stamford, Conn. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. (Chris Preovolos/Staff photo)The friend's name, age and hometown are not known. Her face was very badly mauled by the chimp, police said.

"It was a very serious attack. She suffered a tremendous loss of blood, terrible facial injuries, body injuries and hand injuries," Capt. Richard Conklin said.

The visitor had just left her car in the yard when Travis attacked, he said.

"The chimpanzee exited the house and for some
reason, we don't know what triggered it, attacked the visitor," Conklin said. "It was a very extreme attack, a very brutal attack."

Herold saw the attack, called 911 and grabbed a butcher knife to help her friend, Conklin said.

She stabbed Travis a number of times. Police are trying to nail down the timeline of events, he said.

After he was stabbed, Travis wandered around the yard, he said.

Police provided security for emergency medical workers, Conklin said.

"The EMS personnel were reluctant to go in (to treat the injured woman) because there was an enraged chimpanzee on the loose," he said.

Police retreated to their vehicles after Travis reappeared, Conklin said.
door of a cruiser, smashing the side-view mirror. When he couldn't get it the chimp went around to the driver's-side door and opened it, Conklin said.

That is when the officer shot him.

"He had no choice but to pull his pistol and fire several rounds," Conklin said of the officer.

Travis retreated to his living quarters in the house and was found dead there by police who followed a trail of blood.

Herold's friend, Don Mecca of Port Chester, N.Y., said he was wary of the chimp.

"They're pretty calm ... but they will get you one way or the other" if they are angered, Mecca said.

Many Stamford residents know Travis for an incident in October 2003, when the chimp jumped out of an SUV in which he was riding with Herold and her late husband, Jerome.

The incident occurred after a young man threw something at the SUV that went through a half-open window and struck Travis while they were stopped at a traffic light. Startled, Travis unbuckled his seat belt, opened the SUV door and went after the man, but did not catch him.

Travis then played at the busy Tresser Boulevard intersection for about two hours. Each time they lured him into the SUV, he got back out by opening the door before they could lock it. The same thing happened when they tried to get Travis into the back of a police cruiser. At one point the chimp chased officers around a police car parked on Tresser Boulevard. Police finally forced him back into the SUV.

It is not illegal to own an exotic pet in Connecticut, but a law requires new owners to have permits. The law was not retroactive and did not apply to the Herolds.

As The Advocate has reported, the 15-year-old chimp was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control.

The Herolds got Travis when he was three days old.

When he was younger, Travis appeared on TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot.

Through the Herolds' towing business, the chimp got to know several police officers. During the incident at the downtown intersection, Travis thought the officers who tried to contain him were playing, the owner said at the time.

Stamford police will hold a press conference at headquarters on Bedford Street at 8 p.m., they said.
Travis, who was known for liking police officers, tried to open the passenger

[Jules]

Like what happened with Sigfried and Roy..... :(

[Monicauf1]

Excellent post Beach!! I could not have said it better, I feel bad that the owner got hurt but as you said the owner is responsible and it pisses me off that innocent wild animals are killed by no fault to its own, the animal was wild and did what came natural

[Scoops]

I missed the entirety of this line about halfway through the article when copying.

<<<Travis, who was known for liking police officers, tried to open the passenger door of a cruiser, smashing the side-view mirror. When he couldn't get it the chimp went around to the driver's-side door and opened it, Conklin said.>>>

[beachreader]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837323 (Post Number)

I saw video of the chimp on tv last night....sad story all around. He was like a member of the family. They said he knew the visitor, but that she had changed her hairstyle and he didn't recognize her.

STAMFORD -- A woman whose 200-pound chimpanzee attacked her friend Monday afternoon tried to stop the attack by stabbing her pet primate with a butcher knife, police said.

After police arrived to clear the way for emergency medical workers to treat the critically injured friend, the chimp, Travis, revived and opened the door of the police cruiser.

The officer inside fired several shots, killing the chimp.

The owner of the chimp, Sandra Herold, and two officers also were hurt, though the extent of their injuries wasn't clear.

Travis was known in Stamford for years because he rode around in trucks belonging to Herold's towing company, Desire Me Motors in Stamford.

The attack occurred outside Herold's home at 241 Rock Rimmon Road.

The body of Travis, a pet chimpanzee, who attacked two women and was shot and killed by a Stamford Police Department officer, is under a sheet in the back of a Stamford Animal Control truck at the Herold residence on Rock Rimmon Road in Stamford, Conn. on Monday, Feb. 16, 2009. (Chris Preovolos/Staff photo)The friend's name, age and hometown are not known. Her face was very badly mauled by the chimp, police said.

"It was a very serious attack. She suffered a tremendous loss of blood, terrible facial injuries, body injuries and hand injuries," Capt. Richard Conklin said.

The visitor had just left her car in the yard when Travis attacked, he said.

"The chimpanzee exited the house and for some
reason, we don't know what triggered it, attacked the visitor," Conklin said. "It was a very extreme attack, a very brutal attack."

Herold saw the attack, called 911 and grabbed a butcher knife to help her friend, Conklin said.

She stabbed Travis a number of times. Police are trying to nail down the timeline of events, he said.

After he was stabbed, Travis wandered around the yard, he said.

Police provided security for emergency medical workers, Conklin said.

"The EMS personnel were reluctant to go in (to treat the injured woman) because there was an enraged chimpanzee on the loose," he said.

Police retreated to their vehicles after Travis reappeared, Conklin said.
door of a cruiser, smashing the side-view mirror. When he couldn't get it the chimp went around to the driver's-side door and opened it, Conklin said.

That is when the officer shot him.

"He had no choice but to pull his pistol and fire several rounds," Conklin said of the officer.

Travis retreated to his living quarters in the house and was found dead there by police who followed a trail of blood.

Herold's friend, Don Mecca of Port Chester, N.Y., said he was wary of the chimp.

"They're pretty calm ... but they will get you one way or the other" if they are angered, Mecca said.

Many Stamford residents know Travis for an incident in October 2003, when the chimp jumped out of an SUV in which he was riding with Herold and her late husband, Jerome.

The incident occurred after a young man threw something at the SUV that went through a half-open window and struck Travis while they were stopped at a traffic light. Startled, Travis unbuckled his seat belt, opened the SUV door and went after the man, but did not catch him.

Travis then played at the busy Tresser Boulevard intersection for about two hours. Each time they lured him into the SUV, he got back out by opening the door before they could lock it. The same thing happened when they tried to get Travis into the back of a police cruiser. At one point the chimp chased officers around a police car parked on Tresser Boulevard. Police finally forced him back into the SUV.

It is not illegal to own an exotic pet in Connecticut, but a law requires new owners to have permits. The law was not retroactive and did not apply to the Herolds.

As The Advocate has reported, the 15-year-old chimp was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control.

The Herolds got Travis when he was three days old.

When he was younger, Travis appeared on TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot.

Through the Herolds' towing business, the chimp got to know several police officers. During the incident at the downtown intersection, Travis thought the officers who tried to contain him were playing, the owner said at the time.

Stamford police will hold a press conference at headquarters on Bedford Street at 8 p.m., they said.
Travis, who was known for liking police officers, tried to open the passenger

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The owner said that he was agitated all day that he was not acting like himself.

Then having these 2 women yelling at him in this state it triggered the alpha male in him. It is common from what I was hearing and why he should not have been kept in a home after 6 years of age. =(

[Scoops]

supposedly he was on new medicine for Lyme disease and it was affecting him adversely. : (

[Cindyloo]

Yep, good post Beach and you others too.

Something just HAD to have sparked him.

So sad...):

[beachreader]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Monicauf1;1837325 (Post Number)

Excellent post Beach!! I could not have said it better, I feel bad that the owner got hurt but as you said the owner is responsible and it pisses me off that innocent wild animals are killed by no fault to its own, the animal was wild and did what came natural

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If I were her neighbor and knew that she kept such a thing inside her home I would have never felt comfortable living there and would have been afraid to allow my child outside to play. Had I not known and my child were harmed like her neighbor I think that I would have killed that woman.

Other peoples outside animals would have not been safe either. What right did she think that she had to endanger others like this. There should be laws in place for stupid people.

[Jules]

*standing ovation for Beachreader*

[Cindyloo]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: beachreader;1837336 (Post Number)

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Monicauf1;1837325 (Post Number)

Excellent post Beach!! I could not have said it better, I feel bad that the owner got hurt but as you said the owner is responsible and it pisses me off that innocent wild animals are killed by no fault to its own, the animal was wild and did what came natural

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If I were her neighbor and knew that she kept such a thing inside her home I would have never felt comfortable living there and would have been afraid to allow my child outside to play. Had I not known and my child were harmed like her neighbor I think that I would have killed that woman.

Other peoples outside animals would have not been safe either. What right did she think that she had to endanger others like this. There should be laws in place for stupid people.

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Exactly!!

[Scoops]

I agree....and some states have laws....I am kind of surprised that CT does not.

[beachreader]

I just found out that the woman that owned him is 70 years old.

[SavhLaney]

Such a sad story. I hate to read things like this.

[Cindyloo]

I didn't know that...70 years old

I was wrong on my title. He mauled the neighbor I guess.

[Scoops]

I don't think it was the neighbor...unless she drove over to the house. I just heard the police call....omg...awful....the woman is on The Today Show being interviewed in her home. She doesn't look 70....she has long black hair.

[Scoops]

She had given him SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM 5 minutes before the attack.

[Scoops]

oh lord....she said he was all she had...her husband died 5 years ago, and her daughter died tragically in a car accident. She thought of him as her son. She had his artwork on the refrigerator. I feel so badly for everyone involved. : (

[beachreader]

Thanks guys and sorry...I get so wound up over things like this.

This is the way these animals act...people are not going to change them and because they are as big and powerful as they are it only take one attack.

I have seen my cats having a *bad day*. My sweet loving freeway who is my big baby will have his moments of agitation and in that instance I get scratched(he does not like his stomach touched and sometimes when he is laying beside me and laying on my arm my arm touchs his stomach in the wrong way and agitates him and he has got my arm in a grip with his 2 front paws and kicked with his 2 back paws)......imagine that being a tiger or a big animal. If Freeway were a tiger I would not have an arm by now! What in the h*** are people thinking. It is natural instinct and only takes one time.

[Cindyloo]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837349 (Post Number)

I don't think it was the neighbor...unless she drove over to the house. I just heard the police call....omg...awful....the woman is on The Today Show being interviewed in her home. She doesn't look 70....she has long black hair.

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Oh, it wasn't the neighbor. I got confused on who it was..lol

Yes, I heard about the SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM

Is she on the Today Show now?

[Scoops]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Cindyloo;1837356 (Post Number)

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837349 (Post Number)

I don't think it was the neighbor...unless she drove over to the house. I just heard the police call....omg...awful....the woman is on The Today Show being interviewed in her home. She doesn't look 70....she has long black hair.

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Oh, it wasn't the neighbor. I got confused on who it was..lol

Yes, I heard about the SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM

Is she on the Today Show now?

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She was just on....but my area shows the third hour of Today after Regis and Kelly, so it was probably on already in other areas.

It was her girlfriend who was visiting....she had known him for years....he was familiar with her, but she changed her hairstyle.

[beachreader]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Cindyloo;1837345 (Post Number)

I didn't know that...70 years old

I was wrong on my title. He mauled the neighbor I guess.

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My husband said that he heard a news report that the owner is 70. I hadn't heard that.

[beachreader]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837352 (Post Number)

oh lord....she said he was all she had...her husband died 5 years ago, and her daughter died tragically in a car accident. She thought of him as her son. She had his artwork on the refrigerator. I feel so badly for everyone involved. : (

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I am a horrible person but I do not feel bad for the owner....yet. I am still too mad at her.

[Scoops]

on second look, she could be 70, but she looks pretty good for 70 facially...I would have said 60.

The long black hair kind of threw me off.

[Monicauf1]

Another excellent post Beach- as you said if I was the neighbor I would not have wanted to live there, I would have been too scared. The chimp was a wild animal, not a family member, certain animals are never meant to be domesticated. No need to apologize Beach, these stores upset me too ( so do the missing/abused children, but that is a different subject). This woman is giving a chimp medication, is she a vet? A trained professional? I hope the laws change so this will never happen again, I hope she pays for the medical bills for the person that got hurt- I have not read every post, did the neighbor get hurt? or the owner? I am a little confused, if it was someone else that got hurt then to me the owner is responsible for the medical bills and pain and suffering. An innocent animal got killed for no reason, an innocent person got hurt for no reason...

[beachreader]

STAMFORD, Conn. -- The owner of a chimpanzee that violently mauled a family friend at a Stamford home Monday claims the animal was suffering from Lyme disease.

Police said they are working to get the 200-pound chimp's medical records to corroborate the story. Officials said they are investigating what medication the animal was taking and how long he may have had the disease.

The pet chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash at its Rockrimmon Road home Monday afternoon after it got out of the house.

“The animal is so intelligent, he grabbed the keys, unlocked the kitchen door to allow itself out," Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Nash was coming with an orange toy to help Travis' 70-year-old owner, Sandra Herold, calm the animal, who police said had been agitated all day.

Herold gave the chimp tea laced with SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM in an attempt to calm him. When that didn't work, police said Herold called for Nash's help.

Police said Travis violently attacked Nash as she exited her vehicle. They called the attack "lengthy and vicious."

[Scoops]

This excerpt tells some info not in the other article I posted.
AP 2-18-09

Investigators are trying to figure out why - whether it was a bout of Lyme disease, a reaction to drugs, or a case of instinct taking over.

"It's hard to say what exactly precipitated this behavior," said Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo. "At the end of the day, they are not human and you can't always predict their behavior and how they or any other wild animal will respond when they feel threatened."

Travis attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash as Sandra Herold frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pounded him with a shovel. Nash was in critical condition Tuesday with "life-changing, if not life-threatening," injuries to her face and hands, Mayor Dannel Malloy said.

Police said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner can be held criminally responsible if he or she knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others.

Police said that Travis was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp.

In humans, SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM can cause memory loss, lack of coordination, reduced sex drive and other side effects. It can also lead to aggression in people who were unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

"SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.

[Scoops]

Plus, who knows what he was on for the Lyme disease. That causes pain and flu like symptoms, so he could have been in a lot of discomfort.

[beachreader]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837365 (Post Number)

This excerpt tells some info not in the other article I posted.
AP 2-18-09

Investigators are trying to figure out why - whether it was a bout of Lyme disease, a reaction to drugs, or a case of instinct taking over.

"It's hard to say what exactly precipitated this behavior," said Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo. "At the end of the day, they are not human and you can't always predict their behavior and how they or any other wild animal will respond when they feel threatened."

Travis attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash as Sandra Herold frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pounded him with a shovel. Nash was in critical condition Tuesday with "life-changing, if not life-threatening," injuries to her face and hands, Mayor Dannel Malloy said.

Police said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. A pet owner can be held criminally responsible if he or she knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others.

Police said that Travis was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp.

In humans, SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM can cause memory loss, lack of coordination, reduced sex drive and other side effects. It can also lead to aggression in people who were unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

"SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM could have made him worse," if human studies are any indication, Coccaro said.

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I know that this woman is 70 years old but I am just so angry at her. =(

[Scoops]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: beachreader;1837363 (Post Number)

STAMFORD, Conn. -- The owner of a chimpanzee that violently mauled a family friend at a Stamford home Monday claims the animal was suffering from Lyme disease.

Police said they are working to get the 200-pound chimp's medical records to corroborate the story. Officials said they are investigating what medication the animal was taking and how long he may have had the disease.

The pet chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked 55-year-old Charla Nash at its Rockrimmon Road home Monday afternoon after it got out of the house.

“The animal is so intelligent, he grabbed the keys, unlocked the kitchen door to allow itself out," Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Nash was coming with an orange toy to help Travis' 70-year-old owner, Sandra Herold, calm the animal, who police said had been agitated all day.

Herold gave the chimp tea laced with SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM in an attempt to calm him. When that didn't work, police said Herold called for Nash's help.

Police said Travis violently attacked Nash as she exited her vehicle. They called the attack "lengthy and vicious."

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oh my...she was bringing him a little toy to help. just being a good friend.

[Cindyloo]

Oh Goodness! Terrible!!

I missed the interview, but I'm sure there will be more interviews throughout the day.

[Scoops]

I guess there is a law in CT, but they were exempt because they had Travis before the law went into effect.

rest of the AP article:
<<<Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas, said it is difficult to say what effect SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM would have on a chimp, but he noted that chimps and humans have similar physiology.

Investigators said they were also told that Travis had Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with flu-like symptoms that can lead to arthritis and meningitis in humans.

"Maybe from the medications he was out of sorts," Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said.

Herold could not be reached for comment. A woman answering the door at Herold's home, where drops of blood stained the walkway, would not speak to reporters Tuesday. Conklin said Herold was "traumatized by this very, very brutal attack."

Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold, whose daughter died several years ago in a car accident, fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.

Herold built the chimpanzee a large cage in her home. She knew chimps could be dangerous but found it hard to part with Travis, Mecca said.

McCann of the Bronx Zoo said chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years.

"I don't know the effects of Lyme disease on chimpanzees, but I will say that it's deceiving to think that if any animal is, quote-unquote, well-behaved around humans that means there is no risk involved to humans for potential outbursts of behavior," she said. "They are unpredictable, and in instances like this you cannot control that behavior or prevent it from happening if it is in a private home."

Connecticut law requires anyone who owns a primate heavier than 50 pounds to obtain a state permit. But Herold was exempted from the law.

"Given that the family in Stamford owned Travis before this law was put on the books, and the fact that over the years the animal did not appear to present a public safety risk, their possession of the chimpanzee was allowed to continue," said Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.

When he was younger, Travis starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford.

"He's been raised almost like a child by this family," Conklin said. "He rides in a car every day. He opens doors. He's a very unique animal in that aspect. We have no indication of what provoked this behavior at all."

[beachreader]

I do not get the this law......I will have to read the entire article and maybe it is explained.....but if guns are legal and I buy one...then there is a law against them I get to keep it ...and maim someone?

I have a feeling that this woman may be charged with something. Closing ones eyes to facts just because you love something and want to keep it does not make a good defense imo.

[Scoops]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: beachreader;1837379 (Post Number)

I do not get the this law......I will have to read the entire article and maybe it is explained.....but if guns are legal and I buy one...then there is a law against them I get to keep it ...and maim someone?

I have a feeling that this woman may be charged with something. Closing ones eyes to facts just because you love something and want to keep it does not make a good defense imo.

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It's that stupid "grandfather" thing they do for people with animals....I have seen it applied with pit bulls when they pass a no pit bull law. If you already have one, you are grandfathered in. But only for the existing pet.

[beachreader]

This says it all and is why I am so mad at her: <<She knew chimps could be dangerous but found it hard to part with Travis, Mecca said.>>>


If I had a gun before a law went into effect it would not be any less dangerous than it was than when it went into effect.....the potential danger is always there.....isn't that what the law is for. People can be so stupid. So she was aided in her stupidity. Great.


People do not use common sense.

[Scoops]

I had heard he was 200 pounds, but couldn't picture a chimp that big....that sounds more gorilla like to me. Then when I saw the picture of him standing beside the car, trying to get in, wow...he was the biggest chimp I have ever seen.

[Scoops]

more details...although it just gets worse with each thing I read. From Fox News.

<<<The bizarre scene unfolded in Stamford, when Travis suddenly attacked and tore up the face of 55-year-old Charla Nash, who was visiting his owner Sandra Herold Monday night.

Nash was taken to the hospital with severe wounds and remained in critical condition Tuesday.

"He bit both of her hands off and the cop told me he just kept eating her. It's terrible," Lynne Mecca, a friend of the victim, told CBS News.

The animal had recently been given SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM, an anti-anxiety drug that is used for pets as well as humans, because it had become agitated.

Stamford Police Capt. Richard Conklin said Herold gave Travis the drug in some tea. The medication can initially cause an increase in anxiety in animals until they adjust to it.

Authorities say there was no known provocation for the attack.

The victim suffered "a tremendous loss of blood" from serious facial injuries, according to Conklin.

Nash was in critical condition Tuesday 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."

Herold and two officers also were hurt, though authorities said the extent of their wounds was not immediately known.

The 15-year-old chimp once starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola.

Police said they don't know why Travis attacked Nash as she got out of her car to visit Herold. There was speculation that it may have been because she had recently changed her hairstyle and the animal could have thought she was an intruder.>>>>

[Jules]

oh my GAWD....he bit both her hands off? I had to stop reading at that point.....

[Cindyloo]

Yeah, wasn't that awful?

I just now got to hear the phone call (911) that came in.

It was terrible!

[Jules]

I haven't heard the phone call yet, but I am sure I will before the day is over. : (

[Scoops]

here is the call:

www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/17/chimpanzee.attack/#cnnSTCVideo

[Scoops]

the owner:



www.msnbc.msn.com/id/29227429/

[lavender]

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Oh my God that poor woman, I am saying prayers for her. Her life, if she survives will be more hell with so much surgery ahead.

If it were me I'd rather be dead. God in his infinite mercy will make the call. I hope He does

what He feels will help her most.

[Cindyloo]

I know Lavender. She'll never be the same, that's for sure.

I can only imagine that scene with all that going on. All the chaos. How scary!

[Jules]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837439 (Post Number)

here is the call:

www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/17/chimpanzee.attack/#cnnSTCVideo

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oh how I wish I hadn't listened to that....thats terrible. It made me cry.

[Scoops]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Jules;1837453 (Post Number)

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: Scoops;1837439 (Post Number)

here is the call:

www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/17/chimpanzee.attack/#cnnSTCVideo

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oh how I wish I hadn't listened to that....thats terrible. It made me cry.

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The other video of the owner...is so so sad. It has pictures of the woman he attacked....she looked like she loved him and took care of him also.

[Scoops]

she talks about how he could drive...and took off with the car a couple of times!!!!!!!

[Scoops]

today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/29254992#29233819

[Scoops]

3-17-09
By DAVE COLLINS
STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - The family of a woman mauled by a chimpanzee filed a lawsuit seeking $50 million in damages against the primate's owner, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities."

Attorneys for Charla Nash, who remains in critical condition, filed the lawsuit against Sandra Herold late Monday in Superior Court in Stamford.

The suit also alleges that Herold had given the chimp medication that further upset the animal. Herold has made conflicting public statements about whether she gave SPAMSPAMSPAMSPAMSPAM, an anti-anxiety drug, to Travis on the day of the attack. The drug had not been prescribed for the animal, police said.

Herold knew the 200-pound chimp, Travis, was agitated when she asked Nash to come to her house on Feb. 16, the lawsuit said. The suit accuses Herold of negligence and recklessness for owning "a wild animal with violent propensities, even though she lacked sufficient skill, strength and/or experience to subdue the chimpanzee when necessary."

"Our client, Charla Nash, has suffered and will continue to suffer agony and pain beyond our comprehension," attorney Charles Willinger said at a news conference in Bridgeport. "This is a tragedy ... that should not have happened."

Herold's attorney, Joseph Gerardi, declined to comment Tuesday.

Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the 12-minute mauling. Many bones in her face were crushed, and the attack may also have left her blind and brain damaged. She is in critical condition at the Cleveland Clinic, which in December performed the first face transplant in the United States. Doctors haven't said if Nash will be a candidate for such a procedure.

Another of Nash's attorneys said she can respond to some verbal commands, but the extent of possible brain damage is still unknown. "Going forward, there's going to be astronomical expenses associated with the procedures she's going to require," attorney William Monaco said.

By state law, Nash's lawsuit seeks only an amount greater than $15,000. But Nash's attorneys are also seeking an account of Herold's assets - including six pieces of property she owns and her stake in a Stamford used car dealership - in hopes of securing $50 million for possible damages, according to court papers. Attorneys say it's unknown if Herold has that much in assets.

"No amount of money can compensate my sister for the injuries she has suffered," Michael Nash, the appointed conservator of his sister's estate, said in an affidavit. "Nevertheless, it is my belief that probable cause exists that judgment will enter in favor of the plaintiff in the amount of at least $50 million."

The judge granted a temporary restraining order that prevents Herold from selling or mortgaging her assets, and scheduled an April 13 hearing on the attorney's request for detailed financial information from Herold.

Herold had asked Nash to come to her home in Stamford on the day of the attack to help lure Travis back into her house. Herold has speculated that the chimp was trying to protect her and attacked Nash because she had changed her hairstyle, was driving a different car and was holding a stuffed toy in front of her face to get Travis' attention.

The animal was shot and killed by police, who are weighing whether to file criminal charges against Herold.

Two other people have said that Travis bit them, in 1996 and 1998. A former animal control officer has said that she warned Herold after a 2003 escape that the pet's behavior was worrisome and she needed to keep it under control.

April Truitt, who runs the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky, has said she warned Herold of the dangers of keeping the animal in her home. She said she pleaded with Herold to consider placing the chimp in a sanctuary, but Herold was not interested, saying: "You don't know my Travis."

When he was younger, Travis starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot.

[Jules]

I bet she'll get it, too......

[beachreader]

Thank you for posting the update Scoops.

[Scoops]

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QUOTING FROM POSTER: beachreader;1849598 (Post Number)

Thank you for posting the update Scoops.

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You're welcome...it is a very sad story all around.