Thread: Horrific Chimp Attack..

That's a very sad thing to happen...

But we must not let our image of chimps be damaged by this one incident. Think of the thousands of people mauled to death by their dogs every year in America, yet doggies are still oh-so-cute. It's like people thinking killer whales are vicious creatures because one whale in captivity somewhere almost drowned some reporter who decided to ride on its back.

My heart goes out to both women and I hope they heal as quickly as possible.
I also hope they give Travis an autopsy and release anything else they may find.
It's hard for me to believe a much loved part of the family suddenly found wild roots for absolutely no reason. Perhaps the xanax made him insane.
Mes Tarrant makes an excellent point. My image of all chimps hasn't been sullied completely. I just hope they learn something concrete from this horrific tragedy.
for both familes

I totally agree with you Mes.

What I meant is that I always thought of chimps being "small".. a size that you could put on your hip and walk around with (ala Michael Jackson and Bubbles). I had just never heard of a chimp getting to be that large (around 200 pounds)! The fact that the lady gave it the anti-anxiety drug Xanax (which had not been prescribed for it) certainly didn't help the situation.

This just further proves to me that wild animals shouldn't be taken from their natural habitat and made into "pets".

.

This won't change my opinion of Chimps either.









I've always thought they were cold-blooded murderes.

Seriously, though. By the sound of it this was as unpredictable as your own child attempting to murder you. The chimp was apparently very much a part of her life. I hope everything turns out as well as it can.

I sort of knew wild animals could attack you if provoked.

Sorry. :/

Originally Posted by Siиdяed

I sort of knew wild animals could attack you if provoked.

When you think about it, the animal doesn't even have to be considered "wild."

Any animal can attack.

Yeah. Just look at humans and all the attacking we do.

Besides, I think that chimpanzees often fight and kill each other and others who enter their territory. I remember watching it on Discovery channel. A wildlife security person was killed by a pack of them. If I remember correctly, they go for the face and the groin. Or maybe I just mixed everything up.

It is pretty scary thought. I know I'm thin, but even I don't weigh 200 pounds. What would it have done to me I wonder .

Too bad nobody was around to stop it or that the owner didn't try harder.

Originally Posted by Mes Tarrant

When you think about it, the animal doesn't even have to be considered "wild."

Any animal can attack.

I was about to laugh off your irrational paranoia, then I realised my dog was looking at me weird.

Goddamn.

You think I could take my dog in a fight if it came to it?

Originally Posted by Siиdяed

You think I could take my dog in a fight if it came to it?

Just back slowly away from the dog.. and do NOT make eye contact!!

.

If it's looking for a fight, I'll give it one.

I got a knife.

He ain't got jack.

But claws. And teeth.

Still, I got knife.

Offer the dog money.

Works every time.

Please, Mes, he's not a prostitute.

Originally Posted by Clairity

This just further proves to me that wild animals shouldn't be taken from their natural habitat and made into "pets".

I agree. I love big cats (tigers, panthers, cheetahs), but unfortunately I wouldn't trust having one as a pet. It's one thing to train and love animals, but quite another to forget their roots.

I wish the owner a speedy recovery.

I learned how quickly domestic animals can turn about 8 years ago. I had a cat who was either pregnant or just gave birth and I brought home a neutered male that a friend had to get rid of. I have NEVER conditioned my pets to other animals before. I let them get into some scuffs over territory and after a few MINOR brawls they get over each other.
Not this time. She tore into him like nothing I've ever seen and he crapped all over the place in fear. I finally got them separated and needless to say, I did not keep him. That cat was something else. My friend Rox came over one day with her small black lab/cockerspaniel/? mix and Neubie (the cat) tore into the pooch too.
I learned my lesson though.
Animals can be FIERCE and scary if they feel threatened or that they're space has been invaded and all the more so if they have little ones or are expecting.

Originally Posted by Amethyst Star

I wish the owner a speedy recovery.

It's even worse for the owner (I guess), since the chimp attacked her friend. If she herself feels guilty for what has happened.

And imagine the nightmares both of them will have and probably for the rest of their lives.

But I can't help but feel ?? a little melancholy or something about how quickly our "family members" become beasts to be killed. If that was her grown child, would she have told the cops the same thing ('Shoot it, you MUST shoot it. Kill him!')? I don't know why that facts makes me emotionally uneasy but it does.

I was feeling rather sad about this whole thing till I got to:

Originally Posted by Siиdяed

Please, Mes, he's not a prostitute.

Very sad incident by the way.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

But I can't help but feel ?? a little melancholy or something about how quickly our "family members" become beasts to be killed. If that was her grown child, would she have told the cops the same thing ('Shoot it, you MUST shoot it. Kill him!')? I don't know why that facts makes me emotionally uneasy but it does.

I kind of share your emotion hearing her say those words.. but I guess she was hysterical because she couldn't stop him. She had even stabbed him and he continued the attack.. and then he actually went after her! I guess she knew then that the only way to stop him (unless you had a tranquilizer dart) was to shoot him.

If the police hadn't killed him then.. they would have probably put him down later because he viciously attacked (and possibly killed) a person.

The guilt she must feel for calling her friend over to help get him back into the house has to be overwhelming.. and then when people question her for giving him Xanax, etc...

.

Clearly the shrimp should have been given Xanax to calm down. I didn't think shrimps were that dangerous.

Originally Posted by Mitzie

Very sad incident by the way.

I got my money's worth.

£5 means alot to a hungry dog.

Originally Posted by Zhaylin

And imagine the nightmares both of them will have and probably for the rest of their lives.

But I can't help but feel ?? a little melancholy or something about how quickly our "family members" become beasts to be killed. If that was her grown child, would she have told the cops the same thing ('Shoot it, you MUST shoot it. Kill him!')? I don't know why that facts makes me emotionally uneasy but it does.

Think about the difference between animals and humans when it comes to reasoning.

Think about it this way:

Son shoots lady's best friend.
Mother: Son... this isn't you. Put the gun away.
Son: I'm sorry.

or

Ape mauls best friend
Lady: Ape... this isn't you. Put the gun away.
Ape: Ooh ooh ah ah.

It's like telling a dog "You're such a goood boy." Or "Bad dog. Bad dog!" What the hell sense is it going to make to it?

Jesus Christ, that's... Ridiculous.

Originally Posted by De-lousedInTheComatorium

It's like telling a dog "You're such a goood boy." Or "Bad dog. Bad dog!" What the hell sense is it going to make to it?

Tone is what makes the difference.

I've been hearing about this all day. It's definitely a crazy (and unfortunate) situation.

The bottom line, though, is that this is what one has to expect when trying to raise a wild animal. Chimps are not domesticated dogs. They are not house-cats. They are smart, and they are lovable because of their human characteristics, but they have wild instincts, and have not been domesticated nearly long enough to override those instincts with just a little TLC. An idea I've heard being proposed is that the friend that came over to help had recently gotten a haircut, and the chimp might not have recognized her. That is all it takes to set off this sort of tragedy. Chimps are not house pets. They are nice and cute and 'cool' to have, when they are small, but this was a 200 lb chimpanzee. That someone could think they could control it enough to make it a predictable pet was nothing short of unwise.

How does a chimp maul someone? They don't have long claws but fingers.. Or so I thought. I would think it could of just punched the lady square in the face but how did it "rip her face off"?


It is quite horrible. Monkeys scare me even more now!