From the AP article...Travis the chimpanzee, a veteran of TV commercials, was the constant companion of a lonely Connecticut widow who fed him steak, lobster and ice cream. He could eat at the table, drink wine from a stemmed glass, use the toilet, and dress and bathe himself.Or, there is another possibility...and I'm just spitballing here...
He brushed his teeth with a Water Pik, logged on to a computer to look at photos and channel-surfed television with the remote control.
But on Monday, the wild animal in him came out with a vengeance.
The 200-pound animal viciously mauled a friend of his owner before being shot to death by police.
Investigators are trying to figure out why -- whether it was a bout of Lyme disease, a reaction to drugs, or a case of instinct taking over.
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Police said that Travis was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Police said the drug had not been prescribed for the 14-year-old chimp
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"I don't know the effects of Lyme disease on chimpanzees, but I will say that it's deceiving to think that if any animal is, quote-unquote, well-behaved around humans that means there is no risk involved to humans for potential outbursts of behavior," she said. "They are unpredictable, and in instances like this you cannot control that behavior or prevent it from happening if it is in a private home."
Connecticut law requires anyone who owns a primate heavier than 50 pounds to obtain a state permit. But Herold was exempted from the law.
"Given that the family in Stamford owned Travis before this law was put on the books, and the fact that over the years the animal did not appear to present a public safety risk, their possession of the chimpanzee was allowed to continue," said Dennis Schain, spokesman for the state Department of Environmental Protection.
Maybe he was a frickin' wild animal.
Monkeys aren't pets, folks.
They don't belong with the humans.
That's just a theory, though.
5 comments:
The audio of the 911 call - and it shouldn't be - is freaking hilarious. It might be that I can't relate to this situation, but I find aggravated monkeys hilarious. Especially when they attack.
And somehow, the New York Post is claiming this is what they were referencing in yesterday's political cartoon...
I fail to see the relationship.
wv: repti - another class of animals that shouldn't be kept as pets
the one pictured looks peaceful enough.
washington washington 6 foot 20 weighs a ___________ ton.
wasn't he made of radiation?
Monkey attacks aren't tragedies for anything other than the monkey. They don't belong out of the wild, and we're doing them a disservice when we bring them in.
Calen - the NYP cartoon is poorly done. I see what they were getting at - the stimulus bill was written in as chaotic fashion as a rampaging chimp - but it's poorly done.
Lakes - dang you for getting the in my head again. And the peaceful one is holding a gun. That ain't any more right than a 2-yr-old smoking like a pro.
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