Pet chimpanzee mauls woman friend of owner

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 after it inexplicably attacked her friend Charla Nash, 55.

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

“She retrieved a large butcher knife and stabbed her long-time pet numerous times in an effort to save her friend, who was really being brutally attacked,” said Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin.

Many people don't understand how deceptively powerful chimpanzees are. A full-grown chimpanzee is fully capable of literally ripping an arm off of an adult human.

...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...

“He's been raised almost like a child by this family,” Capt. 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 behaviour at all.”

It could be long-suppressed guilt at having participated in a Maury Povich Show, but this is the factor I would wonder about...

Capt. Conklin told reporters the chimp was acting so agitated earlier that afternoon that Ms. Herold gave him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea.

Addendum: Here's an even worse chimp-mauls-human story. NOT for the faint of heart.