Chimp Attack Lawsuit

The brother of a woman mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee in Connecticut last week has been appointed her conservator, and is taking legal steps to prepare a possible lawsuit on her behalf. Stamford Probate Judge Gerald M. Fox Jr. appointed Michael Nash as temporary conservator to his 55-year-old twin sister, Charla, on Tuesday. Charla Nash was critically injured in a Feb. 16 attack by a chimpanzee owned by her friend, 70-year-old Sandra Herold of Stamford. Neither Nash nor the family's attorney, Matthew Newman, would comment on who they might sue. "We're pursuing all potential legal avenues," Newman said.

Herold, who owned the 14-year-old chimp for nearly all his life, fed Travis the finest foods, including steak, lobster, cheesecake and wine. She said Travis combed her hair and slept with her.

When he was younger, the chimp starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, made an appearance on the "Maury Povich Show" and took part in a television pilot.

Herold asked Charla Nash to come over the day of the attack to help lure Travis back into her house. Herold has theorized that the chimp attacked to protect her because he didn't recognize Nash, who had changed her hairstyle, was driving a different car and was holding a stuffed toy in front of her face to get Travis' attention.

Herold stabbed Travis with a butcher knife and struck him with a shovel in unsuccessful attempts to get him off Nash. Police, who shot and killed the chimp, said Nash's face appeared to have been ripped off in the 12-minute attack.

Four teams of surgeons operated on Nash for more than seven hours to stabilize her before she was transferred three days later to the Cleveland Clinic.

The family is gathering photos of Nash to send to the clinic for possible reconstructive surgery, said Capt. Richard Conklin.

Herold has made conflicting statements about whether she gave Travis the anti-anxiety drug Xanax before the attack. She has also said he suffered from Lyme disease. A test for rabies was negative, and results from a necropsy are pending.

Authorities have not said whether Herold will face criminal charges. Connecticut law allowed her to own the chimp as a pet.

On Tuesday, the House passed a bill, 323-95, to ban the transport of monkeys and apes across state lines for the purpose of selling them as pets. The measure now goes to the Senate for a vote.

Scott Drake talks with Animal legal Defense Fund Founder Joyce Tischler

Comments

[Jason Coats]

Once again, this is Jason Coats. First, I would like to thank those of you who are willing to acknowledge that what I did may not have been so wrong after all. For those of you who are not aware, the chimp that I shot in Festus, Mo. on April 19th, 2001, was the mother of Travis, the chimp that attacked Mrs. Nash in Conn. One of the primary reasons for my felony conviction was due to the testimony and misrepresentation by the owners of the chimps as well as animal rights activists letters that portray chimps as harmless, friendly creatures all of the time, and the juries lack of faith in the four teenagers description of the actual events.
Although it is a relief to finally have vindication to my name, it is more important that measures be taken to ensure that cases like these never happen again. My greatest fear is for my own children, my nieces and nephews, and my own mother, their grandmother, who, to this day, lives next door to the still operating "chimp sanctuary/exotic animal flea market". Any of whom on any given day could be outside, and subject to another one of these vicious animals "escape" and repeat the tragedies that have happened to St. James Davis, Mrs. Nash, and even one of the very owners of the chimp that I shot. As I have said before the loss of a pet, no matter the circumstance is never easy, but the loss of human life is much worse. The facts are that with a reasonable amount of personal responsibility and the acknowledgment that wild animals can't always be controlled, tragedies like these NEVER EVER have to happen again. These “chimp pimps” need to be stopped. Please write you local Gov. to push for tougher legislation to at least keep nondomestic animals out of residential areas. History has proven it’s not a mater if, but when. So WHEN the next time such a vicious attack as this happens hopefully it won’t be to you or your loved ones.
PLEASE SIGN THIS PETITION
<a href="http://www.gopetition.com/online/25573.html">Online petition - Save humans from non domestic animal attacks</a>

Thank you,
Jason Coats

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