Fascinating Horror - On the 16th of February 2009 at around 3:40 p.m. an adult male chimpanzee named Travis who had been kept as a beloved and pampered pet for many years went berserk, mauling and severely injuring a 55-year-old woman.
The Story of Travis The Chimp
What triggered the violent attack will forever remain a mystery.
Travis was born at a chimpanzee sanctuary in Missouri on October 21st 1995. He was soon adopted by Sandra and Jerome Herold who named him after their favorite singer Travis Tritt.
The Herold's raised Travis at their home in Stamford, Connecticut where he was treated as a much-loved pet.
He would ride with the Herold's as they went to work or went shopping, and pose for photos in their truck.
He was well known and liked by the residents of the town and was even the subject of a great deal of love and affection from local law enforcement, who saw him as a quirky but lovable pet.
Neighbor Tony Macari even used to wrestle with Travis on a regular basis. He noted that the animal was always extremely careful when playing and knew when to stop.
Indeed, according to Tony Macari, Travis listened to instructions better than his own nephews.
Travis could dress himself, water plants, feed hay to the Herold's horses, eat at a table with the rest of the family, and drink wine from a glass.
He could use keys to open doors and log into the family computer to look at pictures. He watched baseball on television and used the remote control to change channels.
He brushed his own teeth and drove a car once or twice and even learned the schedule of local ice-cream trucks so that he knew when to expect one of his favorite treats.
Indeed, Travis was so well-behaved and capable that he starred in several commercials for brands which included Pepsi and Old Navy.
He was a guest on the Maury Povich Show and was even featured in a television pilot that never got off the ground.
All things considered he had quite a career. One or two incidents do stand out from this otherwise glowing track record.
Travis was riding in the Herold's car
In October 2003, for example, Travis was riding in the Herold's car when he was hit by an object thrown by a passing pedestrian.
The chimp let himself out of the car and chased the offending individual, who fled the scene; a sensible move when confronted with a 200-pound angry chimp.
The police were called and a slapstick chase ensued wherein they would tempt Travis back into the car with cookies, ice cream, and macadamia nuts... only for Travis to immediately let himself out again once he'd had a snack.
He chased officers playfully around the car and held up traffic for several hours. It was only once he became tired that he was eventually subdued with a tranquilizer dart.
Although nobody was injured this incident did lead to a tightening of regulation. Thereafter anyone who wished to own an exotic pet in the state of Connecticut would have to apply for a permit.
This law was, however, not enforced on the Herold's since they had owned Travis so long.
Travis bit a woman who lived in the same area
In a separate incident a woman who lived in the same area as the Herold's alleged that Travis bit her and tried to pull her into a car sometime in 1996.
While this does seem like a more serious cause for concern, no record of the incident can be found, despite the woman noting that she reported it to the police.
Despite these blips Travis was considered by one and all to be harmless, well-socialized, and charming.
Travis attack Charla
That all changed on the 16th of February 2009.
By this time, sadly, Jerome Herold had died of cancer and the family towing business was run largely by 70 year-old Sandra Herold.
She was assisted in this by employee and friend Charla Nash, who helped run the business, look after Travis, and keep Sandra's personal life in order.
On this particular day Travis had taken Sandra's car keys and left the house. Sandra called Charla so that she could come over and help her tempt the chimp back inside.
Charla, who was very familiar with the animal, took one of his favorite toys (a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll) and went outside the house.
The moment Travis set eyes on her he launched a vicious attack, biting and tearing at her face and hands.
Against the 200 pound muscle-bound animal Charla was completely defenseless. Sandra did her best to save her friend.
She hit Travis with a shovel and stabbed him with a butcher knife - an act which caused her great emotional distress. Travis had been a beloved pet and family member for more than a decade at this point.
Stabbing him was, she reported, as painful as putting a knife in her own body. Despite this intervention the attack did not stop. Sandra called 911 and told the operator what was happening. Here's a clip of the call.
In the background of which Travis's demented screams can still be heard... Following that distressing call police and an ambulance were dispatched to the house.
The paramedics arrived first but had to wait for police backup before they could approach Travis ceased his attack as the first police car arrived on scene.
Blood-drenched but calm he approached the police cruiser and tried to open the door, then smashed one of the wing mirrors.
He then walked around to the driver's side door and opened it, at which point the officer inside discharged several rounds from his handgun into Travis at close range.
It is a mark of the terrifying strength and power of an average adult male chimpanzee that Travis did not die immediately. Instead he returned to the house, where he succumbed to his wounds in front of his cage.
Charla's wounds were very nearly fatal. They were so severe that the hospital staff who treated her received counseling after doing so.
She had lost her hands, nose, eyes, lips, and mid-face bone structure, and received significant brain tissue injuries.
Doctors reattached her jaw but could not save her sight. She was left with scar tissue that barely resembled a human face. The extreme nature of her injuries made her a candidate for experimental face and hand transplants.
Charla bravely agreed to these procedures, which were initially successful - although her transplanted hands had to be removed after she developed an infection.
While she will never make a full recovery she is able to live with some degree of independence. In order to raise funds to pay for her astronomical medical bills her family started a trust fund.
Charla also appeared on The Oprah Winfrey Show. She routinely speaks about the responsible ownership of exotic pets. Chimpanzees, she says, should not be kept by anyone.
Sandra Harold died a little more than a year after the incident, her health likely affected by the massive pending lawsuit against her and the stress of a terrible, violent attack against a close friend.
She passed away after suffering a aortic aneurysm, and was buried along with Travis's cremated remains.
That leaves only the mystery of why Travis did what he did. There may have been several contributing factors.
Charla Condition
On the day of the attack, for example, Charla had a new hairstyle and so may have been unrecognizable to the chimp. Seeing a complete stranger with one of his favorite toys might have scared him into lashing out.
In addition to this Xanax was found in his system during an autopsy.
The Reason Travis attack Chlara
Before her death Sandra confirmed that she had given the chimp Xanax laced tea early on the day of the attack in an attempt to calm him down.
The medication can, however, occasionally cause paradoxical reactions in the short-term.
These include hallucinations, aggression, rage, and mania. While these things may have been a factor in Travis's shocking attack there is also the simple fact that he was a wild animal and always would be.
Bottom Line
However close to being a human he seemed he was not one. No human could ever truly know or understand him, and to treat a wild creature of such great strength and power as a pet was always a risky thing to do.
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