Chimps as Pets?

[groover]

Chimps Maul Visitor at Calif. Sanctuary

Chimps Shot Dead After Mauling Visitor at Animal Sanctuary in California

By KIM CURTIS

The Associated Press



Mar. 4, 2005 - A couple's plans for a birthday party for their former pet chimpanzee turned tragic when two other chimps at an animal sanctuary escaped from their cage and attacked. The man was critically injured with massive wounds to his face, body and limbs, and the attacking animals were shot dead. St. James and LaDonna Davis were at the Animal Haven Ranch in Caliente to celebrate the birthday of Moe, a 39-year-old chimpanzee who was taken from their suburban Los Angeles home in 1999 after biting off part of a woman's finger.

Moe was not involved in Thursday's attack, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the California Department of Fish and Game.

The couple had brought Moe a cake and were standing outside his cage when Buddy and Ollie, two of four chimpanzees in the adjoining cage, attacked St. James Davis, Martarano said. Officials have not determined how the chimps got out of their enclosure, he said.

LaDonna Davis, 64, suffered a bite wound to the hand while trying to help her 62-year-old husband, Martarano said.

The son-in-law of the sanctuary's owner killed the attacking animals, Martarano said.

"He saw what was happening and had one kind of weapon with him and then got another he felt would be more substantial and shot them," Martarano said. "He pretty much saved a life."

St. James Davis had severe facial injuries and would require extensive surgery in an attempt to reattach his nose, Dr. Maureen Martin of Kern Medical Center told KGET-TV of Bakersfield. His testicles and a foot also were severed, Kern County Sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander told The Bakersfield Californian.

Davis was transported to Loma Linda University Medical Center, where he was undergoing surgery late Thursday, Martarano said.

Buddy, a 16-year-old male chimp, initiated the attack and after he was shot, Ollie, a 13-year-old male, grabbed the gravely injured man and dragged him down the road, authorities said.

"Everybody was trying to get the chimp off," Chealander said.

Two other chimps, females named Susie and Bones, also escaped from the cage they shared with Ollie and Buddy, prompting sheriff's deputies, animal control workers, and Fish and Game officials to launch a search.

The wayward pair were recovered by Animal Haven owner Virginia Brauer after five hours. Martarano said one chimp was two miles from the sanctuary, located 25 miles southeast of Bakersfield.

The Davises had waged an unsuccessful legal fight to bring Moe back to their West Covina home and visited him regularly at the sanctuary where he had been living since October. They brought the chimp from Africa decades ago after a poacher killed his mother.

Animal Haven Ranch has held state permits to shelter animals since 1985 and serves as a sanctuary for animals that have been confiscated or discovered lost, Martarano said.

It is allowed to house up to nine primates at one time and is home to one spider monkey and six chimpanzees, he said. The permits are held by Virginia and Ralph Brauer, whom neighbors described as responsible animal lovers.

"She's devoted her whole life to taking care of these chimpanzees," said Jeanne Miller, a family friend.




Copyright 2005 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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This line does conjure up some bizarre images: "Everybody was trying to get the chimp off".

[Enforcer]

The scariest part of that is the grotesquely random parts the chimp "severed." Nose, testicles, foot (foot?).

[groover]

I suspect the chimp felt anyone pretentious enough to go by the first name of "St. James" deserves to have his testicles ripped off.

[LennyH]

The scariest part of that is the grotesquely random parts the chimp "severed." Nose, testicles, foot (foot?).

Random? Don't be so naive, my friend. These chimps were clearly sending a message.

[Jazzzoline]

Random? Don't be so naive, my friend. These chimps were clearly sending a message.

"I'll rip off everything men usualy stick in my ass "

[Gary Sisco]

An average chimp has the strength of several human men. That's not a likely pet prospect, if you ask me. There's no question who's going to win the argument about behavior. Tearing off a foot is well within their strength ability. And I agree, there was likely nothing random about the choices of what parts to go for. We do share 98% of our genetic material with them. They're a lot smarter than most people give them credit for (and a lot smarter than a lot of people, clearly).

[bruce massey]

Viewing great apes in zoos is generally depressing for me. I know that zoos do serve as a valuable tool for species preservation but I've never seen a gorrilla or orangutan that wasn't bummed out.

[bluenoter]

Just to answer the question in the thread title, no, no, no. No chimps, no wolf hybrids--no nondomesticated animals in the home. It's dangerous for the owners and ultimately cruel to the animals. Take it from this onetime employee of the Humane Society of the United States.

[groover]

I have enough scars from the cat!

[Scott Dolan]

Just to answer the question in the thread title, no, no, no. No chimps, no wolf hybrids--no nondomesticated animals in the home. It's dangerous for the owners and ultimately cruel to the animals. Take it from this onetime employee of the Humane Society of the United States.

Until you can properly identify the animal in this picture, I have to disallow your comment.

[bluenoter]

Until you can properly identify the animal in this picture, I have to disallow your comment.

We didn't deal with animals in my office, but . . . cat. (I don't care what the damn caption says! Where are its long ears? Huh? Huh?)

[Ron Thorne]

Yep. That's a cat alright. That's definitely a cat's nose, coat, eye shape, etc.

Yep ... no doubt about it. A carrot pancake-eating feline if I ever saw one.

[Gary Sisco]

Massey -- Who could blame them? Not just in lockdown but on view every day as well. It'd not be long before I ripped off a human head that came to feed me ....

[Ron Thorne]

What a tragedy for all concerned. Wild animals are rarely (if ever) truly domesticated, no matter what the appearance might be. Sounds like this sanctuary was doing good work that would otherwise be unnecessary if people would only realize that chimpanzees, monkeys, tigers ... you name it, are not meant to be pets.

Even though virtually everyone living in Alaska has repeatedly heard not to feed moose who wander into town, dummies still think it's cute and/or kind to offer them some lettuce, an apple or animal chow. This week a young boy was severely injured by a young bull moose who had been fed by neighbors all winter. The moose stomped the boy badly and had to be shot by Fish & Game.

Preventable and ignorant.

[Gary Sisco]

Chimps, kids, they're all the same.

[Jazzzoline]

Chimps, kids, they're all the same.

lol

[walto]

Wow, you really have to be careful about leaving some fellas off invitation lists!

[Dr Dave]

Nose and testicles. Chimps really know how to hurt a guy.

Seriously, chimps look cute on TV, but they are really not suitable pets. The following is from Jane Goodall's Chimpanzee Central site:

"Dealing with Aggression: Aggression is a natural aspect of chimpanzee behavior and it is not uncommon for chimps to bite each other in the wild. Even the best cared for chimpanzee innately misses the companionship of other chimpanzees and may act aggressively towards owners. However much a misguided chimp owner continues to love his or her 'child,' the chimpanzee will be too dangerous to keep as part of the family."

-30-

I'd say Jane was putting it mildly.

[groover]

Chimps, kids, they're all the same.

Good one, Gary. A friend of mine had his penis bitten by a five-year old at a New Year's Eve gathering. And his name isn't Michael Jackson!