200 lb. Pet Chimp Stabbed & Shot to Death

[Pi Mako]

This news is horrible and so sad. Poor chimp, but that's what you get for keeping a wild animal as a pet. =/



I like how this all took place less than an hour from my home. You hardly ever hear stuff like this happening in Connecticut LOL.



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http://charter.net/news/read.php?rip_id=%3...LARSDCCL1_UNEWS



(Snippets from the article):



STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — 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.



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.



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.



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.



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.



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.

[BeForJess]

Wow, I was just in Hartford last weekend.



I was watching this on the news tonight (still close enough to where I live to make it a major topic of the night). I actually felt really bad for the owner, who clearly didn't intend on anything like this ever happening. Now she has her friend almost dead and certainly disfigured, she had her long-time pet killed, and she will probably be held responsible. I just can't help but feel incredibly sorry for her situation. They played the 911 call and it was just heart-wrenching.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

This is really sad, despite how weird the situation is. :< I can't imagine having to kill my own pet while it was trying to kill a friend of mine.

[peachgirldb]

Yeah, I feel really bad for all involved :<

[aine]

Shouldn't have let him watch those Conquest of the Planet of the Apes re-runs...



Horrible for those involved indeed, but I'm having hard time sympathising, as the root cause for this was human's vain desire to keep a Pet Different Than the Others.

[BeForJess]

I just heard today on the news that apparently the chimp had bit/attacked people before but not that severely, and that she was warned by her vet that male adult chimps can be dangerous.



Makes me feel less bad for the owner... <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /frown.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' />

[Prinny Squad]

This is why I love living in Connecticut, sometimes. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... stling.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' />

[Special Needs Tricycle]

What the hell is a "Connecticut"

[EmEl]

Two antonyms "connect" and "cut" combined to make a state name.



Alternate answer: the least beautiful part of New England.

[Pi Mako]

[quote name='EmEl' post='60528' date='Feb 20 2009, 06:18 PM']Two antonyms "connect" and "cut" combined to make a state name.



Alternate answer: the least beautiful part of New England.[/quote]



That title actually belongs to Rhode Island (what an ugly shithole x.x).



Oh, and why is someone from Ohio USA asking what a "Connecticut" is? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />



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Back on topic: Latest news is the lady whose face got torn off by the chimp may be getting a face transplant. They transported her to some hospital in OHIO. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' />

[BeForJess]

Hahaha my friend used to date this kid from Rhode Island, and he was a pretty big guy (also, a loser). The joke that we still make, 3 years later, is that he is the entirety of the state of Rhode Island. For example, "I'm so glad that TGA moved to Mass and isn't in Rob [last name] anymore!"



Connecticut still wins for being the only New England state with Red Lobster though.



Veering back on topic....



Those face transplants look really creepy. I would be sad if that was the best I could hope for. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nfused.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' />

[Prinny Squad]

[quote name='BeForJess' post='60535' date='Feb 20 2009, 09:06 PM']"I'm so glad that TGA moved to Mass and isn't in Rob [last name] anymore!"[/quote]

TGA... It's closing though. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... omgwtf.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':(' />



[quote name='Emel']Alternate answer: the least beautiful part of New England.[/quote]

The ugliest part of Connecticut is still better than the prettiest part of most states. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... lesson.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' />



REDIRECT: She almost died, BeForJess. I'm sure her face is the least of her worries, haha

[BeForJess]

I hope she makes it, I heard she is still in critical condition.



It will be quite the miracle already if she makes it, but can you imagine living disfigured like that? Even with a transplant she will never look the same. I know I'd have a hell of a hard time dealing with that. Can't imagine what she's going through right now... I'd be pissed, actually. Hopefully she can take it well.



... and I didn't know TGA was closing. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /blink.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':crazy:' /> Not that I go much anymore, since it's so out of the way, but... Ah, poor Andy.

[sadude]

[quote name='BeForJess' post='60535' date='Feb 20 2009, 09:06 PM']Connecticut still wins for being the only New England state with Red Lobster though.[/quote]

That's not true. There's a bunch in New York!

[Pi Mako]

[quote name='sadude' post='60545' date='Feb 20 2009, 11:18 PM'][quote name='BeForJess' post='60535' date='Feb 20 2009, 09:06 PM']Connecticut still wins for being the only New England state with Red Lobster though.[/quote]

That's not true. There's a bunch in New York!

[/quote]



New York isn't part of New England, sweetie. ;B

[sadude]

[quote name='Pi Miki' post='60552' date='Feb 21 2009, 12:28 AM'][quote name='sadude' post='60545' date='Feb 20 2009, 11:18 PM'][quote name='BeForJess' post='60535' date='Feb 20 2009, 09:06 PM']Connecticut still wins for being the only New England state with Red Lobster though.[/quote]

That's not true. There's a bunch in New York!

[/quote]



New York isn't part of New England, sweetie. ;B[/quote]

North East, New England, Nebraska, Neon, NE; SAME THING.

[Special Needs Tricycle]

[quote name='Pi Miki' post='60533' date='Feb 20 2009, 08:07 PM']Oh, and why is someone from Ohio USA asking what a "Connecticut" is? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... #>/sad.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />[/quote]

Don't hate.



[quote name='Pi Miki' post='60533' date='Feb 20 2009, 08:07 PM']Back on topic: Latest news is the lady whose face got torn off by the chimp may be getting a face transplant. They transported her to some hospital in OHIO. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... tongue.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':wub:' />[/quote]

Ohio has really really good hospitals though. If you ever plan on getting your face ripped up by a chimpanzee, Ohio is the place to do it.

[BeForJess]

[quote name='Pi Miki' post='60552' date='Feb 21 2009, 12:28 AM'][quote name='sadude' post='60545' date='Feb 20 2009, 11:18 PM'][quote name='BeForJess' post='60535' date='Feb 20 2009, 09:06 PM']Connecticut still wins for being the only New England state with Red Lobster though.[/quote]

That's not true. There's a bunch in New York!

[/quote]



New York isn't part of New England, sweetie. ;B

[/quote]



True that.



Though I do take my life into my own hands and ride the Fung Wah over to visit some friends who live in the city at least a few times a year. But still, 5 hours is a long way to go for Red Lobster, seriously.

[Melon]

I'd feel sorry for her, but who in their right mind keeps a wild animal as a pet? And a fucking CHIMPANZEE at that! They're not cute and cuddly. The ones we see on TV are babies. When they grow up, they're vicious. Look at any special on Animal Planet or read online about their male grooming/gang killing of rival apes. They love to rip out scrotums, bash brains in, and eat their remains, ect. I wouldn't go near a full grown chimp. I love how they say he went crazy though. It's like Chris Rock said, "He didn't go crazy, he went chimpanzee*!"



Furthermore, who in their right mind gives prescription medication without first consulting with the doctor? <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... nfused.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' /> From what I've read about the story, the neighbor went over to restrain the animal whenever the lady needed help. The animal probably had a temper tantrum about going into his cage. Sad he had to die due to some human's stupidity. He never should have been a pet in the first place.



*original quote was "He didn't go crazy, he went TIGER!"