Ashame that this poor chimp was killed because the ignorance of this woman. What bothers me, she thinks she has done nothing wrong. Travis is dead and her friend is critical, all because of her, go figure.

Posted by: Jo Ann | February 18, 2009 06:04 PM

Did you hear? She had given her chimp Zoloft or Zyantac (can't remember which) right before he went on that rampage. Why did she give medicine, intended for a human, to an animal?

Posted by: Rita | February 18, 2009 06:29 PM

My heart is broken. it makes me so angry when things like this happen. poor poor travis, rest in peace.

Posted by: crystal | February 18, 2009 06:30 PM

Very sad story. When are people going to realize animals aren't for human amusement and profit?

Posted by: Aneliese | February 18, 2009 06:35 PM

What an awful life Travis must have lived. RIP.

PS--has anyone heard what is going on with the Ringling Trial???

Posted by: Kelley | February 18, 2009 06:45 PM

R.I.P. Travis.

Maybe this incident will make people realize wild animals shouldn't be held captive.

Posted by: HiDefUltraRealism | February 18, 2009 08:05 PM

These people are nothing but evil cowards who feel the need to beat animals to make themselves look powerful, but in reality they are nothing but scum. A person should know by now that a wild animal should be in the wild, where it can roam free with other species. It's not an animal's fault afterall, it's the human's because they should know better. It's absurd. RIP Travis, may you rest in a better place :_(

Posted by: Gina | February 18, 2009 08:08 PM

This is just sad! I have been keeping up with this all day. I am watching PETA on O'Reilly right now.I'm so PROUD of Lisa Lange!She did a great job getting the message out there!! Sad,this has to happen in order for people to understand that apes are not pets.To see a ape get shot to death and the life changing injuries that the women now has to suffer with is a double tragedy. If she even lives. My prayers are with her and for Travis. I know there is a heaven for him.

Posted by: SHARI | February 18, 2009 08:17 PM

I am a member of PETA and I always take an opportunity regarding any animal, especially animals in entertainment to EDUCATE people about the true ways wild animals should live. It's surprising how many people do not know what happens behind the scenes. It would be great if you had a TV station people could tune into and actually see what happens to all animals on a daily basis. I have only sympathy for the animals that suffer...humans should know better. Although people mean well, they should already know where wild animals belong.

Posted by: Jeanette Rodriguez | February 18, 2009 08:46 PM

I am saddened by Travis's brutal death. Though I feel sad for the woman who got mauled, she is still alive. I always tell people that primates are wild animals and should stay in the wild. I also tell them that animals should never be used in entertainment, circus, commercials, etc. They, too, have dignity.

Posted by: Jean-Yves Mercier | February 18, 2009 09:35 PM

This was so wrong on so many
levels. But maybe Travis will
leave us something, knowledge.
Although he certianly doesn't
owe any human anything. Poor
Travis. This has made me
sick to my stomach. My prayers
are with all involved.

Posted by: sandy mann | February 18, 2009 10:57 PM

This is what happens when people promoted animals in the media, plus monkeys/chimpanzees arent domesticated animals, so people need to understand we can't have them as pets. Therefore its not the monkeys fault it's the womans fault for getting poor Travis, May He Rest In Peace, and the media. I hate seeing things like this!

Posted by: Aralin | February 18, 2009 11:53 PM

yes sad story because people can't leave animals alone and use the for perverted things as entertainment. sickening

Posted by: roxanne | February 19, 2009 12:50 AM

This was a horrible story and I hope the woman is convicted of animal cruelty. She created the situation with her ignorant blindness to the fact that a chimpanzee is NOT a human. She fed it ice cream and human food and treated it like a person. And she fed it a pharmaceutical drug...that is beyond sick. It's so sad that this animal suffered and died because it had instincts of a chimp. I hope a law is passed to prohibit anyone from harboring a wild animal in a residence or in any other manner. Wild animals are imported from third world countries and most die in transit...if they survive, it's a one-way ticket to neglect, abuse and cruelty. Wild animals are not for personal human amusement and they should STAY in the wild and be protected. Again, I hope they convict this sick woman to the fullest extent of the law.

Posted by: Nik | February 19, 2009 01:18 AM

Everything about this story is very sad. I live in CT, and this story really disturbed me. People in the community are mourning the loss of Travis, but Travis should not have been put in that situation in the first place. I do agree that no primates should be kept as pets. Wild animals could very dangerous, so they don't belong around people. I think they should really be kept in the wild, where they can live happily.
Furthermore, the owner needs serious psychological help. She should NOT have given Travis Xanex. It is not designed for primates; in very rare cases where a person is prone to anger, it can make the person aggressive. A similar effect of the drug could have happened for Travis. This Xanex that Herald gave Travis was probably her own prescription drug. She thought of him as a "son", but what kind of a mother would stab her own child? I also think she should pay for her friend's medical bills, as she is responsible for this incident occurring.
I also think that police officers should have brought a tranquilizer to the Herald house, so that they perhaps could have subdued Travis instead of killing him. RIP Travis. :(

Posted by: Sara | February 19, 2009 01:59 AM

I'm so proud of Lisa for going on O'Reilly and speaking for Travis. I am also to be a Peta member. I think Peta is the best thing that has happened in the animal world. Ingrid, I admire you and May God continue to bless you and all of the Animal Rights members.When will people learn that animals are not for entertainment that it is wrong to mistreat them? One day they will have to answer to the one who created these beautiful animals of the world.In the mean time we have to be "A Voice for Animals."
Rava

Posted by: Rose | February 19, 2009 02:13 AM

I have a wildlife hospital. I know first hand the dangers of wild animals and contact with human beings. Here is the situation:Once the chimp was humanized, he could never be returned to the wild, unless someone could teach him to be a chimpanzee and humans cannot do that!Sanctuaries are the only place for them. We must NEVER take them from their mothers to begin with...but...once that has been done,we must find ways to help them live the most "normal" life they can in captivity.I have a deer that I raised from a baby. He was very sick and bonding is what mammals do...he was torn from his mother, so, I am mother now. He could never be released to the wild, as he trusts humans.He has to be hidden from the humans who would kill him. We all need to protect our animals here in America and in the jungles of Africa from our own kind. Wild animals belong in the wild and if humans would stop eating meat and using animal products, they would remain there. Do not punish the woman who did the best she could by Travis. Travis was a product of a sick society who uses animals for everything from food to entertainment, and, then discards them once they aren't cute anymore.

Posted by: Connee | February 19, 2009 06:04 AM

I felt sick to my stomach when I read how she kept telling the police to shoot him. If she really loved him like a son as she keeps saying, she would have done better by him.

Knowing full well that he was suffering from Lyme disease and was prone to have mood swings, she should have kept a tranquilizer gun handy at all times in case of emergency.

I also can't help feeling that calling her friend was the wrong thing to have done in that situation. Perhaps waiting for Travis to calm down and coax him into the house might have been better or she could have used a tranquilizer. Either of these actions might have saved his life and also prevented what she put her friend through.

The blame for this tragedy rests squarely on her shoulders.

I hope Travis is at peace now. His tragic death has touched people's hearts across the world.

Posted by: Rekha | February 19, 2009 07:01 AM

Poor buddy. He was killed for being a chimp. He had no idea what he was doing was wrong and chimps act like this in the wild all the time. There is not one good reason in this day and age and what we now know about wild animal behavior that anyone should own any wild animal. While I have no doubt Travis' "mom" loved him very much and thought she was giving him a good life, this is what happens when people are "stupid" to the respect and treatment any and all animals deserve. If you love wild/exotic animals you would never want to cage them and break their spirit. Explain that "love" to me.

Posted by: wendi | February 19, 2009 07:09 AM

Yea! They are not pets. But has PETA seen the new Axe shampoo commercial? They are using a pig in the commercial. It seems unhappy the entire commercial. can we get on their hind ends about this?

Posted by: Amber Falobas | February 19, 2009 08:42 AM

He is finally free.

Posted by: NT | February 19, 2009 08:56 AM

oh my gosh thats so horrible!
Poor travis

Posted by: brianna | February 19, 2009 09:02 AM

Yeah can't believe people keep wild animals as pets and act shocked when it goes wild and hurts someone. Not the animals fault, blame the people not the animal. And you don't give any animal medicine meant for humans unless a vet says it's safe (and even then it might not be a good idea).

Posted by: John Maynus | February 19, 2009 09:29 AM

Forgot to add I watched a National Geographic documentary "Chimps: The Dark Side" and was amazed when the chimp researchers in Uganda were teaching the local children about chimps and asked what they know about them, all of the children said, "They kill children." There was a chimp snatching and eating children probably b/c they were easy prey. You ask most children of other countries the same question and you would get answers like, "They are cute, funny, sweet, cuddly" and so on. Simple reason is they don't get exploited for amusement there like other countries. They are dangerous, wild animals capable of killing and are to be respected and even the children there knew this. It was very interesting.

Posted by: wendi | February 19, 2009 10:22 AM

This story absoluetly horrified me. How dare humans kept wild animals like this and then complain when they act on their instincts? Chimps are not pets for Christ's sake. I am enraged over this incident and the whole primate trade in general.

Posted by: Lauren | February 19, 2009 10:45 AM

I would like to see PETA take legitimate legal action on her and the authorities so this never happens again. This idiotic woman used Travis for profit, fed him food that even a complete moron should know was NOT meant for a chimp constitution and obviously has NO CLUE about animal behavior, not to mention HUMAN behavior. I'm not going to touch the Xanax, and steak issue. Hellooooo?
Simple info one can find on the internet....
What do they eat?:
Chimpanzees find their food mainly in trees. Ninety percent of their diet consists of fruits, with the rest coming from buds, bark, and an occasional insect or small mammal [See Did You Know?]. Chimps can poke sticks through holes to gather food, proving that they can use tools.

Social Envirnoment:
Chimpanzees have social hierarchies and live in communities as humans do. They groom each other to maintain friendships and trust. Each animal has its own unique call. Chimpanzees can pout and smile and display fits of rage and jealousy.

Uhm, "fits of rage and jealousy" The MOMENT I heard that Travis had attacked her friend I knew, as a therapist and animal behavior enthusiast, what was going on. Why did she give him a Xanax? Steak has been proven to make animals and people more aggressive and angry.

The level of stupidity that this woman displayed makes me furious and so sad. Poor Travis.
We as a society MUST not allow people to make such ridiculous decisions that can harm innocent animals and people as in this case.

Between the lack of responsibility that surrounds this atrocity and the psycho lady and her Doctor making 8 babies after having had 6, I fear for this world!

PETA, please, make a statement that is intelligent and not too aggressive so the whole world knows that the life of this chimp was not in vain!

Posted by: Eve Applebaum | February 19, 2009 11:54 AM

I work at our County Zoo here in Wisconsin and have worked the Primate Bldg for the last 14 years.

A tiny fraction of the public I encounter are there to be educated. They treat these facilites as a day at the fair.

I wish Zoo officials would become more involved instead of counting heads at the gate to see how much income they are going to bring in.

Travis has passed over the Rainbow Bridge to meet with this new animals friends that will keep him happy and safe.

What a shame! Bless you Travis.........

Posted by: Ellen | February 19, 2009 12:53 PM

Come on now... how is it her fault... that doesnt even make any sense... the monkey found a key somehow and got out of the house, then went mad and started mauling everyone in sight... and this is the womans fault how? The older a monky becomes, the more riley it gets. Not all monkeys are like the little chimps that you see at the zoo people.

Posted by: Oh Please | February 19, 2009 01:37 PM

Not a believer for sure, but if a day of Judgement is professed. Then, ' Bring it on,'for surely we all have behaved like idiots and deserve no mercy. Homo-Sapien, are the most destructive of all creatures. From a very, very disillusioned Animal Welfare fighter for more than forty years !

Posted by: keith | February 19, 2009 01:44 PM

It was bad that this lady chose the chimp as a pet but if you were in her shoes (even not being the owner but a bystander) wouldn't you have try to help the lady being attacked? Or would you just stand there adn watch the chimp brutually attack the lady?

Posted by: Kit | February 19, 2009 02:13 PM

This is so sad. Sad for the woman who loved Travis and had to kill him brutally. Sad for the woman who was nearly killed. Sad for Travis who deserved to be treated like a chimpanzie, not a human. Wild animals should never be pets.

Posted by: Joanna | February 19, 2009 03:26 PM

PETA execs, please do everything within your power to see that Sandy Herold is criminally charged.

Thank you.
Chris

Posted by: cvyarb | February 19, 2009 03:32 PM

a truly heartbreaking incident

Posted by: Ashley | February 19, 2009 04:02 PM

My heart is broken...over Travis and Angelica's report on all the abuse I cant stop crying and I want to help...and take action to educate people and children I am going to get involved...I have always been so sensitive to these issues and have avoided watching these tragic stories because it saddens me so....but not any more I am going to make a stand for all these poor animals!!!!

Posted by: Mary Hartmann | February 19, 2009 04:11 PM

"Oh please" you are extremely ignorant. The woman let Travis DRIVE HER CAR multiple times. And you're going to tell me she's not responsible? He didn't find a key, the woman's friend came over to the house where Travis and his owner live, and he went crazy, and attacked her. Tell me, real quick, what you would do if you were MEANT to be in the wild and were raised in an unnatural environment? You'd go crazy.

Maybe, if the woman wasn't so ignorant, she'd too know that they aren't meant to be kept as pets. A MONKEY IS NOT A DOG. By the age of 8 it has the strength of more than 10 GROWN MEN. So, oh please, get informed.

Posted by: jessica | February 19, 2009 04:22 PM

This story makes me sick. A wild animal should not be kept as a pet. The officers were defending themselves and were in the right to fire when the animal turned on them, but that animal should never have been there in the first place. That poor woman... It seems like she was very brutally attacked. A shame all around.

Posted by: Jacob | February 19, 2009 04:35 PM

Hi I am commenting again...and asking where are these road side Zoos???? This has to be stopped!!!! Every one reading these comments needs to get involved and support PETA, I know I am and I am spreading the word...to my friends,family,clients and students I teach...we can make a differance!!!!!!!!!

Posted by: Mary Hartmann | February 19, 2009 05:47 PM

Oh Please, it is entirely her fault. It IS illegal in CT to own a pet chimpanzee. The laws just aren't strict enough to bring a person to jail for it. I think she just got fined or something. Now they are looking into criminal charges against the woman...I hope they go through, and that they make the laws here against owning exotic animals tougher.
Oh, and by the way, now that she knows that criminal charges might be brought against her, she has been denying ever giving Travis Xanax. That's such BS, because why should she have mentioned it in the first place?

Posted by: Sara | February 19, 2009 07:29 PM

I feel so bad for this chimp, but not for the people involved!

Posted by: maureen | February 19, 2009 07:52 PM

RIP travis
i live in the area and i just wanted to make clear SHE DID NOT give the chimp antibiotics before he went on the rampage he just spazed and im soo sorry for the chimp and owner i want to know cause they wont say on the news . what was the victim doing before he attacked?

Posted by: lauren | February 19, 2009 08:33 PM

aww RIP Travis. i think its a shame people can be so heartless

Posted by: GiraffeLover14 | February 19, 2009 08:39 PM

Shame upon the local government in that area allowing the chimp to be kept in a suburban house as a 'pet' for so long. This woman was clearly extremely irresponsible in keeping Travis and giving him an inappropriate diet (do you want Xanax with that?) and should be prosecuted with animal cruelty charges, as well as any applicable criminal charges for the horrific injuries suffered by the friend who the chimpanzee savaged.

Posted by: Alexandra LoSurdo | February 19, 2009 08:43 PM

I think PETA is something just perfect :D i think we should love animals.. & we should be more respectful by understanding that ,yeah, there are some domestic animals like dogs,cats,turttles,hamsters...

but a chimp?,thats just stupid

LOVE ANIMALS! they can't deffend themselves of humans :S sorry for my bad english lol

i am from Mexico

Posted by: Adriana | February 19, 2009 10:27 PM

Truly a sad story. The thought of Travis being shot multiple times and then still having the awareness to go back to his room in the house to die in his bed. The state of CT should not permit people to own primates whether or not they are over 50lbs. The woman was just a lonely widow who lost her husband and daughter and made Travis a surrogate. My prayers are with the other woman who lost her eyes, nose and part of her jaw. CT must move into the 21st century and enact legislation to prohibit private ownership of these great animals. Yes, they are extremely intelligent even in human terms, but they cannot be owned.

Posted by: Kurt | February 19, 2009 11:54 PM

I am heart-broken over the death of the chimp but I can not believe some of the comments on here - someone said they weren't sorry for the people involved and someone else said at least that woman who was attacked is still alive. She has no eyes, no nose, and part of her jaw is missing. It is one thing to stand up for animal rights, but quite another thing to forget about the human tragedy, which was barely even mentioned in these posts. How would any of you live with the injuries she suffered? My heart goes out to her...and the chimp.

Posted by: chaos | February 20, 2009 02:00 AM

Please go online and google:
The Advocate Stamford, CT for the details of what happened the day Travis was killed. Sandy Herold called her friend for help by asking her to come over because Travis had gotten out of the house - I know, why didn't Herold call the police - it seems the friend was sporting a new hairdo and Travis did not recognize her and snapped! If you read all the postings, you will find that over the years Travis had been involved in a few other incidents. Yes, poor Travis indeed! He should have never been anyone's "pet" but free as he was created to be. Please go to The Advocate and read the many informative comments made by the town folk who knew Travis.

Posted by: Sandra | February 20, 2009 02:42 AM

I'm glad O'Reilly had Lisa on 'The Factor'.

I sure hope the lady in the hospital turns out to be O.K. she had nothing to do with Travis being kept in captivity and is an unfortunate victim.

And RIP, Travis :(

Posted by: Curtis | February 20, 2009 04:52 AM

One more innocent life is wasted, in this case poor Travis - may he rest in peace!- and all because not of the ignorance of the woman but because of her selfishness!
I do suggest that this criminal be prossecuted and banned from having any kind of living beings in her possession!

Posted by: Gina Rangel | February 20, 2009 05:56 AM

I keep hearing more details about this woman's "relationship" with Travis which seems to be questionable, but why don't more people would understand that animals are suppose to be wild and kept in their natural environment and not used for commerical or personal gain. But then humans use their own kids for the same reasons. I still don't understand why they had to shoot and kill him.

Hopefully he is in a better place now!

RIP TRAVIS!

Posted by: Leight | February 20, 2009 10:54 AM

Animals should not be used for entertainment.Why is Khloe Kardashian on Peta billboard and their show going to have a monkey on it? Animals need to be with other animals their own kind so they can be happy.I believe Travis just wanted to be free!!!

Posted by: Tamra | February 20, 2009 12:01 PM

An animal shouldnt be held in captivity. He walked around with a diaper on...a freakin leash and everything else that is not his REAL world, and he finally just said "Screw it" and attacked. I dont feel sorry for any human hurt by an animal that should be with his FAMILY

Posted by: Amanda | February 20, 2009 02:37 PM

I am sickened by this. This sick, sick, sick woman needs to be punished for what she has done. Why was this poor defensless animal allowed to be torturted (by living in her house all this time)? I am so confused and broken hearted by this cruel situation. She should be punished just on the grounds of forcing him to live with her.
She should be brought up on murder charges and PETA needs to make a stand!!! PLEASE

Posted by: mary | February 20, 2009 03:19 PM

it was zyantic- an anti-depressant... theres some kind of phycological problems with someone who gives anti deppressants to an animal, i mean what the hell?

Posted by: katie | February 20, 2009 03:32 PM

I hope you also post comments that probably are not PETA's choice, but if you do, well, here it is.
This womans face was literally torn off by the Chimp. She would have died had they not killed the chimp. Yeah, maybe she shouldn't have had the chimp as a pet, but the fact remains that she did have the chimp for a pet. So...given that fact, is there any sympathy for the poor woman who almost died and now has to live with a horribly disfigured face? She was an innocent bystander. So, I ask you this question, and I am not being sarcastic: Does PETA as a whole value an animal over a Human Life? This is a real question. I have a dog and a cat and a bird and love my pets. But if my dog attacked my 9 year old son viciously, I would not think twice about killing the dog, because my Son's life, (a Human), is more important than an Animal.Food for thought.

Posted by: Erik Waterman | February 20, 2009 07:05 PM

Xanax. And has any one seen real life footage of chimps in the wild? Thay are aggressive, terrible creatures. Why would you think that in captivity they would be any different. They will violently kill an entire other tribe of chimps to take over a tree. They are horrible little creatures and people should leave them to their own devices in the jungle.

Posted by: XO | February 20, 2009 09:12 PM

This is totally wrong to have taken the life of the chimp. It wasn't his fault that the stupid person didn't follow the rules of the humane keeping of wild animals. The person should have been reprimanded, not the chimp. He did not know any better.What if that had been a child that would have behaved like that, would that have been alright to take the child's life too?

Posted by: Dana Everett | February 21, 2009 12:09 PM

once i took such anti-depressant medication! and the reaction was exactly the contrary to what it promised! i was so aggressive that in the post office i boxed all the waiting people away to be the first in the row! everybody was afraid and angry! i knew exactly that i did something horrible but couldn't do anything against it! so i'm 100 pct sure that travis' reaction was caused by this medication and who knows on what kind of a species it was tested before? furthermore it's clear that animals have their own reactions - even cats and dogs and this point is largely misunderstood by humans, qualifying the animals reaction in the wrong way in saying that it's dangerous or mean - but it's just reacting according to its' own species - with all its' teeth and the rest!

Posted by: animalfriend | February 21, 2009 03:05 PM

It's not right that a living thing should be treated with such disrespect! She should be sued if she hasn't been aleady

Posted by: Petaperson911 | February 21, 2009 11:56 PM

God bless you Travis I'm sure you felt betrayed by everyone as you made your way back to your bed to die and hope you have finally found peace over the bridge. Travis was a 'person' I believe! In every way that mattered. He loved being loved, hated being hated and wanted expression and the sun on his back.
Clearly intelligent with a capacity for problem solving ( as the channel surfing and computer passtimes proved ) I think Travis had adjusted to his life and even loved his adopted mum. But he still yearned for a life he'd never known and perhaps a mum he could only vaguely remember. I don't know why he's called wild in death and why his actions should be so misunderstood. I believe we are all expressions of the same thing. Travis I suspect knew what was going on, and for the most part had accepted it, his life with Mrs Herold. But yearning is yearning and he was anxious to get out of the house, to be outside, and he didn't want to come in. Mrs Herold rung her friend, a friend that I suspect in all likelihood had helped with Travis before and sure as eggs Travis knew why she was there.
Defensively Travis lashed out at this capable, perhaps slightly more dominant friend that had arrived to bring him in.
It's possible he didn't know her and was being protective but my cat resists going to the vet for a check up and knows before i even grab her cage, so I must wonder. Certainly he meant to resist what he saw as an atack. The questions. Did he mean to hurt her as badly as he did? I don't think so, no more than an angry youth kicking someone on the ground means to hit them in the wrong place. ( P.S. those that doubt 'awareness' and the possibility of 'realisation' in primates should read studies ). But certainly in the heat of the moment he was protecting his mum or indeed his own perceived rights to a freedom he desired. Just like the monkeys in labs that fight as the cage door is opened, Travis fought to be free.
( In a study on Macaque monkeys - where in order to get food a monkey had to cause pain to another monkey in plain sight, most monkeys chose to starve, indicating an understanding and empathy we do not credit monkeys with ).

Travis' state of mind could also have been already irritable. We know so much about the effects of bad diet and sugar on humans not to mention what happens when there are deficiencies in our diets. We know the irritability that occurs in our own kids which doctors try to treat with ritilin when in fact diet isn't right. Our normal companions, our dogs and cats need balanced diets. Deny a dog Taurine and magnesium and he or she ends up with heart valve problems.
The fact that zantac can make 'people' more agressive surely put Travis more out of sorts on this occasion. One concludes that it surely was all predictable and avoidable.
I'm sad for Travis but sad also at the lack of awareness in this tale. I'm saddened by the primitologist that said chimps were unpredictable as I know that humans are just as unpredictable to those that don't understand or know them. There is always a reason for agressive behaviour. But Travis was fighting for his life. The fact that his adopted mum could stab him blows me away. Love could not raise it's hand. Only fear.
Of course you'd try to stop the attack. Either get in the middle or knock him out. ( I've dived between two dogs before to protect my own dog when a Staffy had my boys neck, both of us needed hospital after ). But stabbing him?? And asking the police to shoot?? She'll have to live with that and I'm sure if she really loved him she'll revisit that. I think theres much to learn here. Of course Travis didn't belong in a house but monkeys are cast away in the U.S. every year and taking Travis in was probably motivated by compassion, however misguided. But the real lesson here is the understanding that animals are like us and do not spontaneously kill or attack when their needs are met and that that Travis may have listened to Mrs Herold had he been been happier and had she had him during the potty training age of his life. Studies done by national geographic show dogs contemplate and understand us all too well and because they are pack oriented make great companions as long as they are raised well. Ill treated any animal, or human for that matter, either submits or bites back. Farewell Travis. I'm sorry we let you down.

Posted by: Alexander Kerr | February 22, 2009 01:42 AM

This chimp bit the nose off the woman's face and dug out her eyeballs! The EMT's had no idea if the victim was male or female! There was nothing left to but tho shoot it!

Posted by: Rose | February 22, 2009 10:26 AM

Terrible tragic end to a chimpanzees life. It just goes to show that these animals should be allowed to mix with each other and either be allowed to stay in the wild or in a sanctuary. People should not be allowed to have these animals as pets. Though I believe that they should have and deserve rights, I do not think it is humane to treat them like this. Very sad indeed.

Posted by: Susan Holmes | February 22, 2009 12:23 PM

Chimps are ominavoires, much like the majority of the human population. Man people do not realize that while the majority of their diet does not include meat that they will eat it given a chance. many discoverychannel documeentaries show footage of monkey hunts where bands of chimps hunt down, kill and eat small monkeys. Jane Goodall has recorded at least one incedent where she witnessed a chimp use a rock to crack a wild piglets skull in order to eat the brains. As for more than 90% of Chimps diet being plant products the same can be said for the Brown Bear, which is official classed as a carnivore

Posted by: Travis | February 22, 2009 02:04 PM

XO said "They are aggressive, horrible creatures." Bit of an overgeneralization there. Some chimps are aggressive some of the time, just as in the case of human animals.

Posted by: lynda downie | February 23, 2009 11:21 PM

Very thoughtful points, Alexander Kerr (Feb.22 1:42AM)

Posted by: lynda downie | February 23, 2009 11:25 PM

I am a very true believer in wild things are ment to be wild. This women will spend the rest of her life tring to over come her injuries, and Travis has paid with his life. Murdered by his owner. She admitted to giving him Xanax, which makes animals aggressive mins before the attack. Im still sick to my stomatch over this whole ordeal! For the love of GOD pass a law where NO ONE IS ALLOWED TO HAVE WILD ANIMALS!!!!!!!!!!! PLEASEEEEEE for Anmial kind and Human kind both!!!

Posted by: Rebecca | November 16, 2009 03:06 PM