Police in Conn. shoot chimp after it attacks woman

[samanthajane13]

By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer – Tue Feb 17, 12:11 am ET

HARTFORD, Conn. – A 200-pound pet chimpanzee once seen in TV commercials mauled a woman visiting its owner Monday and cornered a police officer in his cruiser before he shot and killed it, authorities said.

Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said the injured woman was hospitalized late Monday in "very serious" condition at Stamford Hospital; her identity was not immediately released. Conklin said she suffered "a tremendous loss of blood" from serious facial injuries.

The 15-year-old chimpanzee's owner and two officers also were hurt, though police said the extent of their injuries was not immediately known.

Police said they had no idea why the chimpanzee, named Travis, attacked the woman as she got out of her car to visit the animal's owner, Sandra Herold. Conklin said Herold wrestled with the animal, then ran inside to call 911.

"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," Conklin said.

Travis ran away and started roaming on Herold's property as police arrived. Officers set up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman lying on the ground, Conklin said.

As the woman was treated, the chimpanzee went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars, Conklin said. Travis opened the door to one cruiser and started to get in, trapping an officer who then shot the chimpanzee several times, Conklin said.

The wounded chimpanzee fled. Conklin said police followed the trail of his blood down the 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.

Well-known around Stamford because he rode around in trucks belonging to his owners' towing company, Travis appeared on TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger, 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 Monday. "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."

A message seeking comment was left Monday night at Herold's home.

Conklin said the chimp has been ill from Lyme disease, "so maybe from the medications he was out of sorts. We really don't know."

Police have dealt with the animal in the past, including an incident in 2003 when he escaped from his owners' vehicle in downtown Stamford for two hours. 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 told them the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control, police said.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090217/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack


RIP, Travis...

[samanthajane13]

Huge chimp shot dead after mauling woman in Conn.
By STEPHANIE REITZ, Associated Press Writer Stephanie Reitz, Associated Press Writer – 20 mins ago



HARTFORD, Conn. – A 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee who once starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola was shot dead by police after a violent rampage that left a friend of its owner badly mauled.

Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp named Travis, wrestled with the animal, stabbed it and hit it with a shovel after it inexplicably attacked her friend Charla Nash, 55.

Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. After the animal 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. Herold told police that the knife had no effect, and that she also struck Travis with a shovel.

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 received minor injuries, police said. Conklin said police don't know what triggered the attack.

"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.

Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo, said Tuesday that chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years.

"It's deceiving to think that if any animal is ... 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."

After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property until police arrived, setting up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman, Conklin said.

But the chimpanzee returned and went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars, Conklin said. An officer shot Travis several times after the animal opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.

"The animal had cornered him," Conklin said Tuesday. "He had no other recourse."

The wounded chimpanzee fled into the house and retreated to his living quarters, where he died.

A woman answering the door at Herold's house Tuesday morning declined to comment.

Conklin told reporters the chimp was acting so agitated earlier that afternoon that Herold gave him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Conklin also suggested the animal may have attacked Nash because she was wearing her hair differently and perhaps wasn't recognized.

The chimpanzee was well-known around Stamford because he rode around in trucks belonging to the towing company operated by his owners.

Police have dealt with him in the past, including an incident in 2003 when he escaped from his owners' vehicle in downtown Stamford for two hours. 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 told them the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control, police said.

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, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford.

"He's been raised almost like a child by this family," Conklin said Monday. "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."

___

Associated Press Writers John Christoffersen in Stamford and Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090217/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Rampaging chimp was given Xanax for anxiety
Owner stabs 200-pound pet with butcher knife after woman badly injured

STAMFORD, Conn. - A 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee that once starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola was shot dead by police after a violent rampage that left a friend of its owner badly mauled.

Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp named Travis, wrestled with the animal on Monday, stabbed it and hit it with a shovel after it inexplicably attacked her friend Charla Nash, 55.

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.

Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. When the animal lunged at Nash as 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 Conklin. Herold told police that the knife had no effect, and that she also struck Travis with a shovel.

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."

Victim not recognized due to hair?

Herold and two officers also received minor injuries, police said. Conklin said police don't know what triggered the attack.

"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.

Conklin also suggested the animal may have attacked Nash because she was wearing her hair differently and perhaps wasn't recognized.

Colleen McCann, a primatologist at the Bronx Zoo, said Tuesday that chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years.

"It's deceiving to think that if any animal is ... 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."

After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property until police arrived, setting up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman, Conklin said.

But the chimpanzee returned and went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars, Conklin said. An officer shot Travis several times after the animal opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.

Chimp 'cornered' officer

"The animal had cornered him," Conklin said Tuesday. "He had no other recourse."

The wounded chimpanzee fled the scene, but Conklin said police were able to follow the trail of his blood: down the 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.

A woman answering the door at Herold's house Tuesday morning declined to comment.

The chimpanzee was well-known around Stamford because he rode around in trucks belonging to the towing company operated by his owners.

Police have dealt with him in the past, including an incident in 2003 when he escaped from his owners' vehicle in downtown Stamford for two hours. 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.

'Raised almost like a child'

At the time of the 2003 incident, police said the Herolds told them the chimpanzee was toilet trained, dressed himself, took his own bath, ate at the table and drank wine from a stemmed glass. He also brushed his teeth using a Water Pik, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, and watched television using the remote control, police said.

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, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford.

"He's been raised almost like a child by this family," Conklin said Monday. "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."


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

[samanthajane13]

http://i130.photobucket.com/albums/p273/samanthajane13/stuff/capt3117e3f03464426b88adbb0ff77f394.jpg

[samanthajane13]

Animal experts are baffled by chimp attack
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – Tue Feb 17, 6:03 pm ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – Travis the chimpanzee, a veteran of TV commercials, was the constant companion of a lonely Connecticut widow who fed him steak, lobster and ice cream. He could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself.

He brushed his teeth with a Water Pik, logged on to a computer to look at photos and channel-surfed television with the remote control.

But on Monday, the wild animal in him came out with a vengeance.

The 200-pound animal viciously mauled a friend of his owner before being shot to death by police.

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 Xanax in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp.

In humans, Xanax 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.

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

Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas, said it is difficult to say what effect Xanax 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."

___

Associated Press Writers Stephanie Reitz and Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090217/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Chimp owner begs police in 911 call to stop attack
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer



STAMFORD, Conn. – The frantic owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that went berserk in Connecticut pleaded with police over the phone to help her stop the animal from mauling her friend, begging them to "Hurry, please! He ripped her face off."

Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's desperate call to police Monday as her 15-year-old chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash.

The chimp can be heard grunting at times on the tape, as Herold cries, "He's killing my friend!"

The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"

Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"

After police arrive, one officer radios back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."

The chimp attacked Nash as Herold, 70, frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pounded him with a shovel.

"He looked at me like, 'Mom, what did you do?'" Herold told NBC's "Today Show" in an interview aired Wednesday. "It was horrific what happened and I had to do what I had to do, but still, I'll miss him for the rest of my life."

Nash remained was in critical condition early Wednesday with major injuries to her face and hands.

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

In humans, Xanax 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.

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

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.

Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. After the animal lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned with a knife.

After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property until police arrived, setting up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman, Conklin said.

But the chimpanzee returned and went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars, Conklin said. An officer shot Travis several times after the animal opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.

The wounded chimpanzee fled into the house and retreated to his living quarters, where he died.

Herold, a widow whose daughter was killed in a car accident several years ago, told the Today Show that the incident was "a freak thing."

She said Travis "couldn't have been more my son than if I gave birth to him," and rejected criticism that chimpanzees are inappropriate pets.

"It's a horrible thing, but I'm not a horrible person and he's not a horrible chimp." she said.

The unexplained attack was uncharacteristic of Travis, a veteran of TV commercials who could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself.

Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.

Travis brushed his teeth with a Water Pik, logged on to a computer to look at photos and channel-surfed television with the remote control.

Colleen McCann, a primatologist at 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.

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.

___

Associated Press Writers Stephanie Reitz and Pat Eaton-Robb in Hartford contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090218/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Owner now says she never gave slain chimp Xanax
By JOHN CHRISTOFFEREN, Associated Press Writer John Christofferen, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 37 mins ago



STAMFORD, Conn. – As authorities considered criminal charges, the woman whose 200-pound domesticated chimpanzee went berserk and mauled a friend backtracked Wednesday on whether she gave the animal the anti-anxiety drug Xanax. Sandra Herold told The Associated Press on Wednesday that she never gave the drug to her 14-year-old chimp, Travis, who was shot dead by Stamford police Monday after he grievously wounded Herold's friend Charla Nash.

However, Herold said in an interview aired Wednesday morning on NBC's "Today" show that she gave Travis the drug in some tea less than five minutes before he attacked Nash — she even showed a reporter the mug. Police have said Herold told them that she gave Travis Xanax that had not been prescribed for him earlier on Monday to calm him because he was agitated.

In humans, Xanax can lead to aggression in people who are unstable to begin with, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

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

The chimpanzee's rampage forced Herold to stab her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pound him with a shovel.

"For me to do something like that — put a knife in him — was like putting one in myself." she said Wednesday. "Then he turned around and like, 'Mom, what did you do?'"

Herold's voice was filled with fear and horror in 911 tapes released by police Tuesday night.

Travis can be heard grunting as she cries for help: "He's killing my friend!"

The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"

Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"

After police arrived, one officer radioed back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."

Doctors at Stamford Hospital said Wednesday that it took four teams of surgeons more than seven hours to stabilize Nash, 55. Hand specialists, plastic surgeons and specialists in orthopedics, ophthalmology and trauma have treated Nash, who has made slight progress but remained in critical condition, Dr. Kevin Miller said at a news conference with the victim's family.

Nash's brother, Mike Nash, did not take questions from reporters but said the family is grateful for community support it has received.

"It should be known that people who were complete strangers to us prior to this have selflessly offered their assistance to our family," he said. "We are eternally grateful to them and to all of you who are keeping Charla in your thoughts and wishing her well."

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

Attorney General Richard Blumenthal said Wednesday that a defect in Connecticut's laws allowed Herold to keep the chimp in her home, probably illegally. There are rules requiring large primates to be registered by the state, but officials have some discretion in enforcing them and violations carry only minor penalties, he said.

"This animal probably was illegally kept, so far as that statute is concerned," Blumenthal said. "Clearly, some kind of permission was necessary for this animal to be at that residence."

Herold, a 70-year-old widow whose daughter was killed in a car accident several years ago, told the AP the chimp "was my life" and that she "never, never, never" gave it Xanax. "He never had anything but love."

Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her when he attacked Nash, who she said was driving a different car, wearing a new hairstyle and holding an Elmo stuffed toy in front of her face as a present to the chimp.

"She had the toy in front of her. This was just a freak thing," Herold said.

Herrold said Nash is a close friend who traveled with her to a Connecticut casino on Valentine's Day.

"It was the most horrible thing that could ever happen," she said.

Authorities are trying to determine why the chimp, a veteran of TV commercials who could dress himself, drink wine from a glass and use the toilet, suddenly attacked. A test for rabies was negative, Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin said Wednesday.

Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. After the animal lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned with a knife.

After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property. An officer shot the chimp several times after it opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in.

Travis appeared in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger, and at home he was treated like a member of the family. Don Mecca, a family friend from Colchester, N.Y., said Herold fed the chimp steak, lobster, ice cream and Italian food.

Primate experts say chimpanzees are unpredictable and dangerous even after living among humans for years, but in her "Today" interview, Herold rejected criticism that they are inappropriate pets.

"It's a horrible thing, but I'm not a horrible person and he's not a horrible chimp." she said.

Connecticut law requires primates weighing more than 50 pounds to be registered with the state. But state Department of Environmental Protection spokesman Dennis Schain said Herold's chimp was exempted because it did not appear to present a public health risk and was owned before the registration requirement began.

Blumenthal, the attorney general, sent letters to legislative leaders and DEP Commissioner Gina McCarthy, asking them to support a proposed law that would ban all potentially dangerous exotic animals, such as chimpanzees, crocodiles and poisonous snakes, from being kept in a residential setting in Connecticut.

McCarthy is seeking a similar law banning large primates. Her agency is also asking the public, police officers and animal control officers who are aware of large primates being kept as pets to report the animals to the agency.

___

Associated Press writers Susan Haigh in Hartford and Ted Shaffrey in Stamford contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Woman says Connecticut chimpanzee bit her in '96
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – Thu Feb 19, 8:41 am ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – The same 200-pound chimp who was fatally shot this week after a vicious attack on his owner's friend also bit a woman in 1996, the woman said in an interview broadcast Thursday.

The woman, Leslie Mostel-Paul, said Travis the chimp bit her hand and tried to pull her into a vehicle as she greeted him. She said she complained to the chimp's owner and to police.

Travis was killed Monday after severely wounding his owner's friend, 55-year-old Charla Nash. Nash remained hospitalized Thursday with critical injuries to her face and hands.

"I honestly believe if they had followed through, maybe the laws would have been changed sooner and this other woman wouldn't be in the hospital, fighting for her life now," said Mostel-Paul, a former Stamford resident who lives in Atlanta.

Owner Sandra Herold, who raised the chimpanzee from its infancy, has said he was a loving pet whose behavior Monday was completely out of character.

Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her when he attacked Nash, who she said was driving a different car, wearing a new hairstyle and holding an Elmo stuffed toy in front of her face as a present to the chimp.

Meanwhile, an animal control officer, Lynn DellaBianco, said she warned Herold in 2003 after Travis escaped Herold's vehicle and frolicked in downtown Stamford traffic for a few hours. DellaBianco, who ran Stamford's animal shelter at the time, told "Today" she warned Herold that the pet's mischievous behavior was worrisome.

"I did express concern that obviously this could turn into something worse if he really decided to start getting angry and do something," DellaBianco said.

Authorities have not said whether Herold will face criminal charges. State law allowed her to own the 14-year-old chimp as a pet, though several state leaders are calling for tighter restrictions in the wake of the latest attack.

Doctors at Stamford Hospital said Wednesday that it took four teams of surgeons more than seven hours to stabilize Nash. Hand specialists, plastic surgeons and specialists in orthopedics, ophthalmology and trauma have treated Nash, who has made slight progress but remained in critical condition, Dr. Kevin Miller said.

Herold's voice was filled with fear and horror in 911 tapes released by police Tuesday night.

Travis can be heard grunting as she cries for help: "He's killing my friend!"

The dispatcher says, "Who's killing your friend?"

Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! He ripped her apart! Shoot him, shoot him!"

After police arrived, one officer radioed back: "There's a man down. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. He's got no face."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090219/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[old_soul]

I was horrified, as an animal advocate, to hear the 911 call and hear about Travis's death.

The friend he mauled, is reported to have lost most of her face, and her hands. Prayers for Charla :rose:.

I understand loving an animal, especially one like Travis, who was almost human in life, and in his adoration for his mom Sandra. Unfortunately, a tamed animal has no place in someones home, because they are still essentially a WILD animal. Whether it was the medication, or something else, his tragic death should serve as a reminder to others like Sandra...a domesticated life is not ideal for wild animals, and it's not fair to them either.

http://i43.tinypic.com/mlqpsx.png :rose:

[samanthajane13]

Chimp in Conn. attack had unusual bond with owner
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 25 mins ago

STAMFORD, Conn. – Travis the chimpanzee's relationship with his owner, a lonely widow, was closer than those of some married couples. She gave him the finest food, and wine in long-stemmed glasses. They took baths together and cuddled in the bed they shared. Travis brushed Herold's hair each night and pined for her when she was away. If she left the house alone, Travis would give her a kiss. "If I left with someone Travis would get upset," Herold said Wednesday.

Experts say the unusually human relationship would have been confusing for any animal. It may have also played a role in Travis' savage attack Monday on Herold's friend, 55-year-old Charla Nash of Stamford.

"This is a crazy relationship," said Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas. "He was probably very bonded with her. I can kind of see it in his eyes this is his surrogate mother."

And chimps like 14-year-old Travis, who was shot and killed by police, protect their mates and turf.

"If there is another person entering his space, he might consider it a threat to his territory, or even his mate," Tello said.

Police say Travis attacked Nash when she arrived at the house to help lure the chimp back into Herold's house. Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her and attacked Nash because had a different hairstyle, was driving a different car and held a stuffed toy in front of her face to get the chimp's attention.

Nash suffered massive injuries to her face and hands, requiring more than seven hours of surgery by four teams of doctors to stabilize her. She was transferred in critical condition Thursday to the Cleveland Clinic, which two months ago performed the nation's first successful face transplant.

Hospital officials say Nash is being treated for her injuries and it's unknown if she will be a candidate for a face transplant.

Monday's attack was not the first time Travis bit someone, a former Stamford resident now living in Atlanta said Thursday.

Leslie Mostel Paul told The Associated Press the chimp grabbed her hand and bit it hard enough to draw blood in 1996, while the animal was sitting in Herold's car in a Stamford office parking lot. Paul said she had tried to shake Travis' hand after Herold gave her permission to say hello.

Paul described Herold as being more aggravated than upset about the incident, and said she had to get rabies shots because Herold was slow in producing Travis' medical records.

"My impression was she was more like, 'Oh, this is gonna be a pain in the neck,'" Paul said.

Paul said she reported the incident to police but received no follow-up calls.

"I told them this was serious," said Paul, who spoke by phone from New York, where she was visiting relatives. "If it was a child, it could have ripped the hand off or an arm out a socket."

In an earlier interview on NBC's "Today" show, Paul said. "I honestly believe if they had followed through, maybe the laws would have been changed sooner and this other woman wouldn't be in the hospital, fighting for her life now."

Herold did not return a call seeking comment Thursday about Paul's claims. Police say they have no record of complaints, aside from a 2003 incident where Travis escaped from a vehicle and led police on a two-hour downtown chase before he was caught.

Authorities have not said whether Herold will face criminal charges. Connecticut state law allowed her to own the chimp as a pet, though several state leaders are calling for tighter restrictions in the wake of Monday's attack.

Herold, who was known to buckle Travis in her car for rides and dress him in baseball shirts, tried to rescue Nash by stabbing Travis and hitting him with a shovel. "I stabbed something I raised as a son," she said Wednesday.

It's not known why the chimp suddenly attacked. Herold has given differing accounts on whether she treated the agitated chimp with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug that had not been prescribed for him. She has also said it suffered from Lyme disease. A test for rabies was negative and results from a necropsy won't be available for weeks.

Lynn DellaBianca, a former Stamford animal control officer, said Thursday that she warned Herold after the 2003 incident that the pet's behavior was worrisome and that she needed to make sure he was kept under control.

"Certainly my concern was for public safety," DellaBianca told The Associated Press. "Male chimpanzees once they reach maturity can be aggressive. I'm sure I did express that to her."

Herold told her she expected to eventually have to give up the chimp, DellaBianca said.

"She did say that herself. She knew someone day he would probably have to go to a sanctuary," DellaBianca said. "She knew chimpanzees, they can get more difficult to handle as they get older."

Mental health professionals say a strong bond between pet owners and their animals is generally good because it can be therapeutic and comforting. The boundaries get blurred, though, when owners treat the animals like humans rather than pets, and expect a reciprocal relationship similar to what they would have with a family member.

David Baron, professor and chairman of the Temple University School of Medicine's psychiatry department, said in cases such as Herold's, the grief of losing loved ones could have made it easy for her to view Travis as a surrogate child and friend. Her husband died in 2004 and her only daughter was killed in a car accident several years ago.

"I wouldn't say that she shouldn't have a pet, but this may be something that should be looked at as part of a grief reaction that's beyond normal," he said.

Earl Mason, whose son married Herold's daughter, remembers when Herold got Travis. The chimp would ride a tricycle.

"He grew up like a youngster," Mason said. "He did everything a kid would do. He was a cute little guy."

Travis loved ice cream and even knew the schedules of the ice cream trucks, Mason said. He ate breakfast at the table with Herold and her husband.

But even was the chimp was a baby, Mason was amazed at his strength. When Travis would jump on him, Mason said he would slam into his chest.

"To me he was beating the crap out of me," Mason said. "He had just tremendous strength."

Don Mecca, a family friend, said Herold knew chimps became more difficult to handle as they get older, but she had a hard time parting with her beloved pet.

"Sandy would always say he would will himself to die if they were separated," Mecca said.

Mecca was reluctant to criticize his friend.

"I think he was lost," Mecca said of Travis. "He belongs in the jungle with the rest of them."

___

Associated Press reporters Stephanie Reitz in Hartford and Jason Bronis in Atlanta contributed to this story.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Medics describe horror of Conn. chimp attack
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 2 hrs 57 mins ago

STAMFORD, Conn. – Her hands looked like they were wrecked by a machine. Eyes wounded, hair yanked out. Face and scalp injuries so extensive, all the blood obscured whatever parts were left.

Two of the first medical workers to treat the woman mauled by a chimpanzee in Connecticut this week described her nightmarish injuries Thursday as she was transferred to the Cleveland hospital that performed the nation's first face transplant.

One of the workers, Bill Ackley, told The Associated Press it was a "miracle" that three days after the attack Charla Nash would be taken to the Cleveland Clinic, which specializes in reconstructive surgery.

"It was amazing to us she had these type of injuries and they were survivable," Ackley said.

Medical workers found Nash, completely unrecognizable, face down Monday in friend Sandra Herold's driveway. The first police officers on the scene couldn't tell if the body was male or female, and warned dispatchers that the victim's face was ripped away.

Nash's attacker, a 14-year-old, 200-pound chimpanzee named Travis, had already been shot by police but was still roaming nearby, temporarily out of sight.

"This was a beast taken out of his element and put into our world," Ackley said. "What he did was essentially what they do in the jungle."

Ackley, a captain with Stamford's emergency medical services, and medic Matt Groves were among the first to tend to Nash. Police formed a perimeter around them with their guns drawn in case the chimp came back.

Blood was everywhere. Groves confirmed she was alive by checking her breathing.

"You ready?" Groves said. "One, two three."

The medics rolled Nash onto a stretcher and strapped her in. They stanched the bleeding with gauze.

Nash's hands were horribly disfigured, but still attached to her wrists.

"I would liken it to a machine-type accident," Ackley said. "She had some crushing injuries to her hands and some tearing injuries to her hands."

Her head injuries "involved her entire face and scalp," Ackley said. Nash's eyes were injured, but Ackley would not say how extensively. Her hair had been ripped out.

"She just had disfiguring injuries," he said. "Her nose was still there. There was some disfigurement. She did have injuries to her mouth that caused quite a bit of bleeding. It was very difficult to determine where everything was because of the blood."

Nash did not talk, but was conscious. She was able to respond to requests to move her foot.

No one talked, but Ackley couldn't help wondering as he worked if Travis would return. He had seen the chimp around town and knew how big he was.

Travis didn't come back. Fatally shot by a police officer, he retreated to Herold's home and died. Why he attacked remains a mystery.

Medics rushed Nash to Stamford Hospital, where four teams of surgeons operated for more than seven hours to stabilize the 55-year-old Stamford resident. She was transferred Thursday to the Cleveland Clinic, which two months ago performed the first face transplant in the U.S.

Eileen Sheil, spokeswoman for the Cleveland facility, said Nash is being seen by a head and neck surgeon and likely will be treated through a team approach involving many specialists.

Sheil said she didn't know if a transplant will be considered. "Priority one is to stabilize her."

Nash's transfer to Cleveland likely is because of the clinic's expertise in facial reconstruction — not because doctors are considering a transplant right away, a leading surgeon said.

"This is a difficult time for the patient and she will need to adjust to it first. All the other options should be discussed first" before something as radical and risky as a transplant is considered, said Dr. Bohdan Pomahac, a reconstructive surgeon at Harvard-affiliated Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.

Brigham also has approved plans to offer face transplants, and Pomahac said he has tried to contact doctors involved in Nash's care but has not reached any yet.

"Often things sort of sound worse than they really are," he said. If any of Nash's face was salvaged, "a lot of the tissues can be returned to where they came from," or repaired with traditional skin grafts or flaps.

In December, surgeons at the Cleveland Clinic completed the nation's first facial transplant, of an unidentified woman who suffered a traumatic injury several years ago. The injury left her with no nose, palate, or way to eat or breathe normally.

In a 22-hour procedure, 80 percent of her face was replaced with bone, muscles, nerves, skin and blood vessels from another woman who had just died.

It was the fourth partial face transplant in the world, though the others were not as extensive. Nor were any done as emergency operations, said Dr. W. P. Andrew Lee, chief of plastic surgery at the University of Pittsburgh.

"It would be unusual" to perform one so soon for Nash, he said.

To consider it, doctors must make sure she is medically stable, that alternatives have been carefully considered, and that she truly had given informed consent, because a transplant requires taking anti-rejection drugs lifelong, Lee said.

That could conceivably be done in a matter of weeks, but "to find a suitable donor with matching skin color and size and other features, that's a practical limitation," he said.

Cleveland doctors have said it took several months to find a suitable donor for the face transplant Dr. Maria Siemionow performed in December. Siemionow is out of the country at a conference.

___

AP Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090220/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack_victim

[samanthajane13]

Family to seek guardianship of chimp attack victim
By SUSAN HAIGH, Associated Press Writer Susan Haigh, Associated Press Writer – 36 mins ago

HARTFORD, Conn. – The family of a woman who was mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee says her twin brother plans to go to court this week to seek guardianship of the victim and her daughter.

"That's the way my sister would want it," Steve Nash said of his younger sister, 55-year-old Charla Nash, who remains under sedation at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, where she is being evaluated by teams of physicians.

Charla Nash's twin, Michael, needs the legal designation to make decisions on behalf of Charla and her 17-year-old daughter, Briana, who is staying with family friends in Connecticut, Steve Nash told The Associated Press on Sunday.

Charla Nash was transferred from Stamford Hospital in Connecticut to Ohio with massive injuries to her face and hands from the Feb. 16 attack by Travis, a chimpanzee owned by her friend, 70-year-old Sandra Herold of Stamford.

"She's stabilized and the evaluation process is going to take a long time. It's a slow process," said Steve Nash, who is with his sister in Ohio.

Nash said he's hopeful the physicians will speak publicly about his sister's condition later this week. Doctors haven't decided if she will be a candidate for a face transplant at the clinic, where the first face transplant in the U.S. was performed two months ago.

Nash, who lives in Virginia, said he doesn't know Herold or many details about the case.

"Our focus is on our sister. We haven't said one or two words about her," he said, referring to Herold.

Herold, who owned the 14-year-old chimp for nearly all his life, has said she fed Travis the finest foods, including steak, lobster, cheesecake and wine. Travis combed her hair and they slept in the same bed, she said.

Herold asked Charla Nash to come to her home 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.

When Travis attacked, Herold stabbed him with a butcher knife and struck him with a shovel in unsuccessful attempts to move him away. Police, who shot and killed the chimp, said it appeared Nash's face was ripped away in the 12-minute attack. Four teams of surgeons operated on Nash for more than seven hours to stabilize her before she was transferred Thursday to the Cleveland Clinic.

Authorities have not said whether Herold will face criminal charges.

Connecticut state law allowed her to own the chimp as a pet.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090223/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Sanctuary warned Conn. chimp owner about dangers
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – Wed Feb 25, 6:05 pm ET

STAMFORD, Conn. – The founder of a primate rescue sanctuary said Wednesday that she warned a Connecticut woman years ago that her pet chimpanzee was a "ticking time bomb." April Truitt, who runs the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky, said she took it upon herself to warn chimp owner Sandra Herold of the dangers of keeping the animal in her home after she heard of its escape in 2003.

The 200-pound chimp, named Travis, attacked and critically injured 55-year-old Charla Nash last week as she tried to help Herold lure the animal back into a house. Nash remains hospitalized with massive injuries to her hands and face.

Police shot and killed the chimp shortly after the attack. Its remains were cremated Wednesday.

Police have not said if they will file charges against Herold. Her lawyer, Joe Gerardi, declined to comment Wednesday.

Authorities said they don't know why the chimp attacked. Herold has speculated that Travis was trying to protect her from Nash, who arrived at the house with an unfamiliar hairstyle and car.

"Travis was a ticking time bomb, and keeping him in the house and trying to domesticate him was a really, really bad idea and he wasn't going to put up with it forever," Truitt said.

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."

Truitt said Herold insisted that Travis couldn't live without her or in the company of other chimps.

Truitt, whose sanctuary has more than 50 primates, including 11 chimps, estimates there are 230 privately owned chimps in the United States. She said she didn't know Herold personally and never met Travis.

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

Nash had surgery in Connecticut before being transferred last week to the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio, which performed the nation's first face transplant in December. Doctors have not said if she will be a candidate for such a procedure.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090225/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Family of Conn. chimp attack victim seeks $50M
By DAVE COLLINS, Associated Press Writer Dave Collins, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 14 mins ago

STAMFORD, Conn. – 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."

A relative of 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 Xanax, 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."

Neither Herold nor her attorney, Joseph Gerardi, immediately returned messages left by The Associated Press on Tuesday morning.

Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids and may be blind and suffering brain damage after the attack. She is being treated at the Cleveland Clinic and remained in critical condition Tuesday.

"No amount of money can compensate my sister for the injuries she has suffered," Nash's brother Michael, the appointed conservator of his sister's estate, said in an affidavit.

Nash's attorneys have scheduled a midday news conference in Bridgeport to discuss the lawsuit.

They also filed legal papers seeking an accounting of Herold's assets, including six pieces of property she owns and her stake in a Stamford used car dealership. The lawyers also want a court order that would prevent her from selling or mortgaging the assets.

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.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090317/ap_on_re_us/chimpanzee_attack_lawsuit

[samanthajane13]

Woman attacked by chimp is speaking, asking for daughter
04/01/09 06:35 AM

NEW HAVEN, Conn. (AP)— A Connecticut woman who was nearly killed by a chimpanzee is speaking, asking for her daughter and responding to commands at the Cleveland Clinic where she is being treated, her brothers said Tuesday.

Stephen and Michael Nash said they are encouraged by test results for brain damage to their sister Charla.

Charla Nash knows that she is in Cleveland, but doctors doubt she will ever recall the attack, her brothers said. Stephen Nash said he told his sister she was injured in an accident.

She also doesn’t know the extent of her injuries. But Michael Nash said that with a reduction in her level of sedation, she will probably start asking questions soon about why she is in the hospital.

She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the Feb. 16 attack.


http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/625651.html

[samanthajane13]

Woman hurt by chimp will be blind for life
04/08/09 06:50 AM

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP)— Doctors say a Connecticut woman who was nearly killed by a chimpanzee suffered so much damage to her eyes that she will be blind for life.

Charla Nash is improving but faces two years of surgical procedures, according to her doctors.

Nash is at Ohio’s Cleveland Clinic and is listed in critical but stable condition. She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the Feb. 16 attack in Stamford. The 200-pound chimp was kept as a pet by Nash’s friend.

Doctors at the clinic said she has made significant neurological and psychological improvement and is awake and able to communicate with her family and caregivers.


http://www.buffalonews.com/nationalworld/national/story/633396.html

[samanthajane13]

Conn. chimp that mauled woman had Xanax in system

By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – Wed May 13, 2:31 pm ET

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A chimpanzee that mauled a Connecticut woman had the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in its system, according to toxicology tests, but investigators haven't determined whether the drug played a role in the attack, a prosecutor said Wednesday.

Authorities are still weighing whether to file criminal charges against the chimpanzee's owner, Sandra Herold, said Stamford State's Attorney David Cohen.

The 200-pound chimp, named Travis, attacked Stamford resident Charla Nash on Feb. 16. She lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack. Doctors at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic say she is blind and faces two years of surgical procedures.

Nash's family has sued Herold for $50 million. The suit alleges, among other things, that she had given Travis medication that further upset the animal.

"I think it provides tremendous support for the plaintiff's case," said Paul Slager, a catastrophic injury attorney in Stamford. "I think it's understood by everyone that Xanax is medication intended to be used by people, not animals. I suspect that experts will agree it's difficult to predict how an animal like a chimpanzee would respond to taking a medication like Xanax."

Herold has made conflicting public statements about whether she gave Travis Xanax the day of the attack. Police have said Herold told them that she gave the animal Xanax that had not been prescribed for him to calm him because he was agitated.

Herold's attorney, Robert Golger, declined to comment Wednesday, saying he hadn't seen the toxicology results, which were first reported by The Hour of Norwalk. A telephone message left for an attorney for Nash's family wasn't immediately returned.

Herold's attorneys have said there was no way to predict Travis would attack Nash.

On the day of the attack, Herold called Nash to her home to help lure the animal 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 attack lasted about 12 minutes, and ended when police fatally shot Travis as he attempted to open a police cruiser's door.

Herold owned the 14-year-old chimp nearly all its life, dressed the animal and fed it human foods. 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.

Police Capt. Richard Conklin said a necropsy determined the chimpanzee died from multiple gun shot wounds. It also showed two substantial knife wounds to the back, confirming the owner's account that she stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife in an effort to rescue her friend, he said.

The report also concluded the chimpanzee was obese, weighing over 200 pounds, Conklin said. He said police will meet with experts in the coming weeks to try to determine if the level of Xanax found would affect the chimpanzee's behavior.

"It doesn't look like a large amount," of Xanax, Conklin said.

Humans who are aggressive or unstable can get worse under the influence of Xanax, said Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center.

"They just have more frequent and severe outbursts," Coccaro said. He said he did not know how Xanax might affect a chimpanzee.

April Truitt, who runs the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky, said she's heard of private primate owners giving valium to their animals.

"It's been well known in primate circles that giving valium to monkeys and apes, particularly if their adrenaline is up, can have a very different effect and not be sedating," Truitt said.

Truitt said she did not know of any cases involving an owner giving Xanax to a chimpanzee.

"It's never occurred to us to try," Truitt said. "What an awful postscript to this whole thing."


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090513/ap_on_re_us/us_chimpanzee_attack

[samanthajane13]

Owners struggle to find sanctuaries for chimps
By JOHN CHRISTOFFERSEN, Associated Press Writer John Christoffersen, Associated Press Writer – 56 mins ago

Russ Cochran fondly recalls the fun he had with his chimpanzee when the animal was younger, taking him for rides in the car and to his cabin on the river. Boaters would stop to see Sammy, who would jump in canoes and help himself to food and drinks from the cooler.

"That would be the price of admission for him," Cochran says. "He would drink beer if you let him. He liked beer."

Now Sammy is a powerful 19-year-old with strength many times that of a human. He recently got into a vicious fight with Cochran's younger chimp, Buckwheat. That fight and news accounts of a savage chimpanzee attack in Connecticut that nearly killed a woman this year convinced Cochran that he didn't want to have two male chimps — the new pet, Buckwheat, had to go.

But finding a new home for Buckwheat and other unwanted chimps isn't easy. Animal experts say dozens of chimp owners in the U.S. are actively trying to find new homes for their chimps, who are more dangerous than adorable when they reach maturity.

The nation's sanctuaries are full with more than 600 chimpanzees, according to April Truitt, who runs the Primate Rescue Center in Kentucky.

"There needs to be a place for these animals," said Cochran, who lives in West Plains, Mo. "I don't think people should have chimps as pets. I say that having had three of them."

Some sanctuaries say they have received more calls since a 14-year-old chimp named Travis suddenly attacked Stamford, Conn., resident Charla Nash. She lost her eyesight, hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack and is now at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic in critical but stable condition.

Travis, who starred in commercials when he was young, was kept as a pet and weighed 200 pounds when he attacked Nash on Feb. 16. He was shot and killed by police.

There are about 235 known, privately owned chimps in the United States, according to Truitt, who did a census in 2003 and has continued to closely monitor the number. Owners of about 70 chimps would give them up if they could find a good home for them, Truitt said. She says she has gotten more calls from owners looking to give up their chimps since the Connecticut attack.

Seven sanctuaries issued a statement last month saying they need more funding so they can offer a safe place to private owners who want to give up their chimps. They also called for states to ban the private ownership of chimpanzees and for the entertainment industry to stop portraying them as "cute hairy little people."

"We cannot take in these individuals without a significant contribution to their lifetime care, so tragedies like the one in Connecticut will likely keep happening," the sanctuaries said. "In substandard facilities, they pose a significant public safety danger."

One owner who spoke on condition of anonymity because she feared her neighbors' reactions said she has been trying for years to find a facility for her two chimps.

"Travis was chimp 9/11," she said. "We have no life. We basically take care of them 24/7."

The Connecticut attack was the latest in a series of incidents in recent years involving chimps escaping and biting people. In 2005, two chimps in California nearly killed a man, chewing off his nose, testicles and foot and biting off chunks of his buttocks and legs before they were shot to death.

This spring in Missouri, authorities responded to a call to help capture an angry chimp running loose on a state highway. When officers arrived, the chimp opened the patrol car door and grabbed the leg of a deputy, who fatally shot it, police said.

Chimps can live 60 years and cost about $15,000 per year to care for, according to sanctuaries. Zoos are normally not able to accept hand-reared chimps because of difficulty integrating them.

Experts blame a handful of breeders and the entertainment industry for contributing to the problem.

Travis starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola when he was younger. At his Connecticut home, he watched television, ate at the table, drank wine from a stemmed glass, brushed his teeth and was toilet trained, according to a police report filed when he escaped in 2003.

Legislation has been proposed in Congress to ban the transport of monkeys and apes across state lines for the purpose of selling them as pets. The importation of primates for the pet trade has been outlawed since 1975, but bill sponsor Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore., has said 30 states allow the keeping of the animals as pets and it is easy to purchase a primate from exotic animal dealers or over the Internet.

"When you're holding a 2-month-old baby chimp in your arms and feeding him out of a bottle, it's a very special thing," Cochran says. "You think at the time it will be all worth it."

Cochran, who spent about $25,000 for cages in his home, said one facility in Florida wanted $200,000 to care for his chimp. Cochran wound up finding a place in Texas that took Buckwheat for $10,000.

The first six or seven years were wonderful, Cochran says.

"Then puberty starts," he says. "When the hormones start to fly, it makes them unpredictable."

Sammy bit off the tip of Cochran's little finger when the animal was 9, Cochran said.

Cochran says he no longer thinks it was worth it to own the chimps.

"On a retirement income, it's an expensive hobby," he says.

___

On the Net:

http://www.chimphaven.org

http://www.chimpsanctuarynw.org

http://www.faunafoundation.org

http://www.savethechimps.org

http://www.chimps-inc.org

http://www.centerforgreatapes.org

http://www.primaterescue.org


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090514/ap_on_re_us/us_chimpanzee_attack_sanctuaries

[samanthajane13]

Costs for keeping a chimp

Caring for a chimpanzee costs about $15,000 annually at any of the nation's dozen chimpanzee sanctuaries. Here's a breakdown of the cost:

- $2,500: food

- $8,000: caregiver/staff salaries

- $1,000: medicine

- $3,500: facilities, including caging, maintenance, equipment and security

Source: Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest


http://www.buffalonews.com/260/story/670905.html

[samanthajane13]

Woman attacked by chimp reveals face on 'Oprah'
By CARYN ROUSSEAU, Associated Press Writer Caryn Rousseau, Associated Press Writer – 1 hr 13 mins ago

CHICAGO – A Connecticut woman who was attacked by a 200-pound chimpanzee revealed her heavily disfigured face on television Wednesday, saying she is blind and has to eat through a straw, but isn't angry.

"I don't even think about it," Charla Nash said on Wednesday's episode of "The Oprah Winfrey Show." "And there's no time for that anyways because I need to heal, you know, not look backwards."

Winfrey removed Nash's hat and veil to reveal her face, which was swollen and damaged beyond recognition. She had a large scar near the bottom of her face and a large piece of skin where her nose had been.

The Feb. 16 attack occurred when the animal's owner, Sandra Herold, asked Nash, her friend and employee, to help lure the animal back into her house in Stamford, Conn. The chimpanzee ripped off Nash's hands, nose, lips and eyelids.

Police shot and killed the animal. Nash has been hospitalized since. She remains in stable condition at the Cleveland Clinic in Ohio.

Nash told Winfrey that she is not in pain, but can't breathe through her nose and has to eat through a straw. She said she doesn't touch her face very often.

"I know that I have my forehead," Nash said. "It feels like just patches of tape or gauze or covering, covering my face."

It wasn't until a couple of weeks ago, when an eye doctor told Nash she no longer had her eyes, that she realized she would never see again, she said. Nash said she doesn't ask many questions about her injuries.

"It's like less for me to worry about if I don't know," she said.

Nash said she didn't remember anything from the attack and doesn't want to.

"I want to get healthy," she said. "I don't want to wake up with nightmares."

Nash's family has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold, saying she was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities."

Herold's attorney has argued the attack was work-related and the case should be treated as a workers' compensation claim. Herold's attorney, Robert Golger, provided Winfrey with a statement, saying Herold wishes Nash the best.

"All of Sandy's hopes and prayers are with Charla and her daughter in this challenging time," the statement read. "Sandy hopes and prays for a full and speedy recovery."

Earlier this month, Nash's family filed notice with Connecticut's Office of Claims Commissioner, asking for permission to sue the state for $150 million, saying officials failed to prevent the attack. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said his office is reviewing the claim.

Herold owned the 14-year-old chimp, named Travis, nearly all its life. When he was younger, Travis starred in TV commercials and took part in a television pilot. The animal also played a role in Herold's towing business, appearing at the garage and attending promotional events.

A Connecticut state biologist had warned state officials beforehand that the chimp could seriously hurt someone. The animal had the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in its system, according to toxicology tests, but investigators don't know whether the drug played a role in the attack.

Nash told Winfrey that the animal had once ripped out a hunk of her hair.

"He was big and scary," she said. "He was huge."

Nash said she wants to warn people about potential dangers posed by exotic animals.

"I'd like to put across to people's minds that these exotic animals are very dangerous and they shouldn't be around," Nash said. "There's a place for them that is not in residential areas, that's for sure."

Even if she isn't feeling well, Nash said she pushes herself to go for a walk during the day. She wears a veil so she doesn't scare people and to avoid insults.

"I'm the same person I've always been," she said. "I just look different."

Her daughter is a high school senior and Nash said she's sorry they can't spend more time together. She said she would like to have helped her daughter pick out a prom dress.

"I know she misses me," Nash said. "I miss her, too."

Nash said she is feeling stronger and healthier. She said she's always been a strong person and liked to be alone, but since the attack that has changed.

"I want to be independent," Nash said. "But I don't want to be alone anymore. It's scary."

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On the Net:

http://www.oprah.com


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20091111/ap_on_re_us/us_winfrey_chimpanzee_attack


My prayers go out to Charla and her family.