This chimp thing just keeps getting weirder

[stevedeshazer]

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5jvlkKth37Fp__GL6KYdl2b1s6dBgD96F33E81

<snip>

Chimp in Conn. attack had unusual bond with owner

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) — Travis the chimpanzee's relationship with his owner, a lonely widow, was closer than those of some married couples. She gave him the finest food, and wine in long-stemmed glasses. They took baths together and cuddled in the bed they shared. Travis brushed Herold's hair each night and pined for her when she was away. If she left the house alone, Travis would give her a kiss. "If I left with someone Travis would get upset," Herold said Wednesday.

Experts say the unusually human relationship would have been confusing for any animal. It may have also played a role in Travis' savage attack Monday on Herold's friend, 55-year-old Charla Nash of Stamford.

"This is a crazy relationship," said Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas. "He was probably very bonded with her. I can kind of see it in his eyes this is his surrogate mother."

And chimps like 14-year-old Travis, who was shot and killed by police, protect their mates and turf.

-----

Ewww.

[BlooInBloo]

1. Ob boy.

[backscatter712]

2. How far did they go?

Far enough to produce a humanzee?

[Richard Steele]

9. Dude, they were drinking fine wine and taking baths together....

I don't think there's much more room for question about 'how far it went'.

Crazy lady was getting it on with the monkey. EOM

[emilyg]

10. Not funny.

[Richard Steele]

11. It's not funny because I'm not joking.

There's nothing funny about it. It's SPHERICALLY sad-
it's sad from every posible viewpoint.

The wine and baths are just what she ADMITS to.
If she said she had a "special relationship" with her 'Pool Boy',
and ADMITTED that she bought him fine wines and took baths with him,
would there be ANY question in your mind about what she WASN'T saying?

No.

I'm not making a joke, I'm saying "do the math".
Ain't nothing funny about it.

[S n o w b a l l]

15. Seriously, that's some sick perverted thinking

Do you have any pets?

[Richard Steele]

19. None with compatible genitals that I purchase 'fine wine' for.

None that I regularly prepare gourmet meals for,
as a prelude to our 'shared bath'.

It's not my thinking that's 'sick' here.
The SITUATION is sick; I'm just pointing out the obvious.

Why is it so hard to get your head around?
Millions of women share their beds with ignorant, dirty
uncouth MEN who are pretty damned LOATHSOME to me.
A chimp with good table manners would be a UPWARD trade
for many of them.



Take 10 seconds, and think of the most disgusting & offensive
MARRIED man you know.

If THAT GUY found a woman willing to settle for him, is
it really such a stretch to think some lonely woman
might find a bit of eccentric happiness with a polite,
well-mannered 'lower' primate?


Sick and disgusting as it may be, she did it...
and IMHO, she could have done much worse.
Lots of ladies do.

[undeterred]

23. "A chimp with good table manners would be a UPWARD trade"

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

Best. Reply. Ever.

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[LeftyFingerPop]

26. Sorry Dick...

But that's some real fucking sicko shit you posted here.

I love my dog like a child. I kiss my dog. I hug my dog and talk to my dog like it is human.

I don't have sex with my dog.

To have something like this pop into your mind worries me.

[Richard Steele]

28. There are none so blind as those who REFUSE to see.

I'm not sick, the OBVIOUS CONCLUSIONS are.

You are disturbed by what was obviously going on;
so disturbed that you are unwilling to ADMIT what was going on...
so your channel your emotions into DENIAL,
and attack the MESSENGER who brought you the disturbing news.

In a way, that's much SADDER than a lonely old lady who found
a few years of eccentric happiness with a polite & well-groomed monkey.



Eddited fer bad spellin.

[snake in the grass]

34. Travis was an ape...

...not a monkey.

Yes, there is a difference.

By the by, I agree with your assessment. It's not like it would have been the first time in human history.

[Name removed]

42. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

45. Deleted message

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[PCIntern]

32. YOU don't...SHE did....nuff said...

Do you take baths and share lobster and wine with your dog?

what do you think went on in the bathtub?

[malaise]

36. I think some Duers owe you an apology

This was not normal. This woman is sick.

[Name removed]

39. Deleted message

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[Name removed]

40. Deleted message

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[northernlights]

38. omggih

:spew: :rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl::rofl:

Travis wasn't any furrier then some, either.

[Maraya1969]

54. I understand why you are saying this. I think it is so repulsive to some people

they would rather hurt the messenger than accept the message. I find it extremely repulsive also but I know shit like this happens.

[maseman]

58. I think you are dead on

When I read the article above I thought exactly the same thing. A dog or cat cannot show the human-like qualities a chimp can while snuggling with an owner. I own a dog, we snuggle, he clearly shows emotion when we leave the house, etc.

I've never shared a bath, a romantic dinner with long-stemmed wine glasses, had my hair combed or kissed my dog. (Yes I know some people kiss their dog but I don't.)

I think it is very possible for this lady to have taken it to the next level. I've heard very religious women say that they are "married" to Jesus Christ as "he is my husband." If people believe they are married to a mythical character why wouldn't it be conceivable for this wome to have relations with her chimp?

[AlCzervik]

43. That's pretty sick and of course an animal cannot consent.

Sick.

[sniffa]

46. Hot chimp love

:thumbsup:

[AlCzervik]

47. Show me on the Curious George where she touched you.

:o

[RetroLounge]

49. ...

:rofl:

RL

[slutticus]

61. Oh my....

:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[Saphire]

21. Even if it didn't "go farther", just the bath and wine part is wierd.

But, I agree that was my first thought, too.

[alfredo]

44. Most Chimps I know are happy with cheap jug wines.

[book_worm]

48. how do you draw that conclusion?

[Earth Bound Misfit]

3. This is just too bizarre

[stevedeshazer]

4. Interspecies dating is just

Well, nevermind.

[soothsayer]

5. damn, they were right! see what gay marriage leads to?

[cliffordu]

6. well....

:rofl:

:popcorn:

[last_texas_dem]

7. Hey, as long as we're just talking chimps here and none of those freaky box turtles.

Admittedly, it's the man-box turtle relationship epidemic that widespread gay marriage would cause that causes me the most fear...

http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/About/AboutUs.htm

[Bryn]

8. The whole story about Travis is very sad

Not funny! Not something to joke about. :(

She was just too attached to Travis to give him up ... she should have when he got older. It's tragic.

[niceypoo]

14. Face it, the ape was a freaking psycho...

A couple bananas short of a bunch..

[Bryn]

17. Duh!

Face it?? This is so silly! What I meant is that she should have given him up to sanctuary when Travis got older, but she didn't. Chimps belong in the wild. Read my post carefully. It's still so tragic that Travis ended up like that. She caused this. Now her friend is in the hospital in terrible shape. Face, eyes, chin, hands! Travis's owner KNEW this would happen eventually, but she put it off until it was too late..that's why she wanted cops to kill him.

[EFerrari]

29. Right. Idiot people take him out of his habitat and out of a viable social group

and he's the psycho.

[BirminghamExaminer]

53. If you can call a chimpanzee psycho, he was psycho because he was made into a pet

[BirminghamExaminer]

52. She should never have had an ape as a pet.

There's a huge difference between domesticated and undomesticated species. Chimpanzees are beautiful wonderful creatures, but they do not make good "pets" and it is cruel to take them out of their natural environment. Chimpanzees are also tremendously strong and even just playing around, they can hurt lesser species like humans (lesser in terms of strength).

[TexasObserver]

12. "Is she really going out with him?!?

"Is she really going to take him home tonight?!"

There's a song there somewhere ....

[Veritas_et_Aequitas]

27. And I always thought "gorillas" was just a metaphor. nt

[704wipes]

31. But Ive been bit and Ive been tossed around

By every she-rat in this town
Have you, babe?

Well, I am just a monkey man
Im glad you are a monkey woman too

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOIqauJ3_WU&feature=related


That's the song that came to mind for me...
It is sad for the chimp, though.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

62. Pretty women walkin' with gorillas down my street...

I sit and stare as my coffee grows cold....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y5BaurXMmMU&feature=related

Joe Jackson rocks!!!

[Politicalboi]

13. The owner of the chimp

Said he bit her too during the attack. And he had bitten another woman's hand in 1996. This whole story is sad. Sad for the woman that got attacked and lost her eyes and nose and a broken jaw. And for the chimp who never should have been a pet. I wanted one when I was a kid from watching Daktari with Judy the chimp. They seem to the perfect playmate on TV. Obviously they're not.

[depakid]

16. "They seem to the perfect playmate on TV. Obviously they're not. "

They can actually become quite malicious.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned a similar story from a couple of years ago:

Chimp Mauling Under Investigation
Escaped From Cage And Attacked Visitor At Calif. Animal Sanctuary

Investigators said they are trying to figure out how two chimpanzees that viciously attacked a visitor at an animal sanctuary escaped from their cage. The chimps chewed off St. James Davis' nose and severely mauled his genitals and limbs Thursday before the son-in-law of the sanctuary's owner shot the animals to death, authorities said.

Davis, 62, and his wife had gone to there to visit another chimpanzee that had lived with them for decades before they were forced to give the animal up. LaDonna Davis, 64, was bit on the hand. "A big part of the investigation will be figuring out whether the (sanctuary) owners were in compliance with regulations," sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander said. "There's a reason why those chimpanzees got out. It will be crucial to our investigation how they got out."

Health authorities were testing the dead chimps for rabies and other diseases. The Davises were at Animal Haven Ranch, in a canyon 30 miles east of Bakersfield, 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.

The couple had brought Moe a cake and were standing outside his cage when Buddy and Ollie, two of the four chimpanzees in the adjoining cage, attacked St. James Davis, said Steve Martarano, a spokesman for the state Department of Fish and Game. Moe was not involved in the attack.

Dr. Maureen Martin of Kern Medical Center told KGET-TV of Bakersfield that the monkeys chewed most of Davis' face off and that he would require extensive surgery in an attempt to reattach his nose. Chealander told The Bakersfield Californian that the chimps also tore off Davis' testicles and foot.

More: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/03/04/national/main678061.shtml

[Bryn]

18. I remember this story well.

Chimps are dangerous especially if they're male. What happened to Davis is horrible as well. Apes and monkeys are not good to be kept as pets or as "children" when they get older. I've heard too many sad stories about them.

[LittleClarkie]

20. Googled him.

Wow.

[lurky]

22. She gave wine to a chimp?

This lady is just an idiot. Look at the violent behavior alcohol can cause in humans. And we have no idea how alcohol will affect an ape's brain. Just stupid.

[BirminghamExaminer]

55. She shouldn't have given him Xanax or meat either

Chimpanzees are mostly herbivorous and frugiferous...eating leaves and fruits. There have only been a few instances recorded of chimpanzees eating meat in the wild and that has been limited to one or two tribes. In those cases, they killed a monkey from a monkey tribe living nearby (not another ape species) and there was a lot of violence associated with these few cases. Only the alpha males and maybe a comrade or two got meat.

The woman should never have had a chimpanzee as a pet.

The woman should never have given him meat.

She should never have given him wine.

She should never have given him Xanax.

[Blue_Tires]

24. ewwwwww

[lunatica]

25. You guys are so bigotted! What about love?

:sarcasm:

I guess this shows I don't deserve my hearts. At least not the ones I got... Are there hearts that say 'you're naughty', or 'danger' or 'potty mouth'? They would represent me better.

[JI7]

30. King Kong

[nadine_mn]

33. The story said the friend got a hair-cut that radically changed her look

Perhaps the chimp thought the friend was going to take Herold away from him - sort of jealousy. Chimps have a social structure... and poor Travis had his severely limited, an "interloper" - the friend- would be seen as a threat.


I have Lab mix male (neutered) who is very attached to me and gets a bit possessive at times - its a natural animal behavior.
Imagine a chimp who for 14 years whose only social circle was really this one person.... this was an attack waiting to happen.

[BirminghamExaminer]

56. Their social structure is similar to ours

Travis wouldn't have been "protecting" his mate (the crazy woman), he would have been keeping her for himself. Not the same thing. It's not the same thing in your dog either. If your dog is protecting you and possessive, you need to show him you are the pack leader, not him.

[nadine_mn]

60. I know that... what I am saying is that on a smaller scale

a domesticated pet has the capacity to get possessive... extrapolate that to a species closer to us, non-domesticated, and you have a greater potential for tragedy

[LisaL]

35. Get this-

Travis' mother actually ended up the same way he did-shot dead.
http://www.nydailynews.com/news/2009/02/21/2009-02-21_mom_of_crazed_chimpanzee_travis_also_sho-1.html

[Stinky The Clown]

37. When the whispers of this first started .........

.... many people's knee-jerk reaction was to deny it was possible.

[Enrique]

41. that's hot n/t

[Mariana]

50. He should have been neutered like any other male pet.

If he had been, none of this speculation about just WHAT she was doing with him wouldn't be happening. It's also possible the attack wouldn't have happened in the first place.

[BirminghamExaminer]

57. Chimpanzees are NOT domesticated animals and should NEVER be pets

"The bizarre incident in April 2001 began when the trio of apes broke out of Mike and Connie Casey's compound, the Missouri Primate Foundation. In addition to running a business that supplied simians for parties, the couple bred and sold chimps, sources say. "

That is from the story about Travis' mother who was similarly shot after escaping from another unnatural situation in which she was being used as rental fodder for parties.

Chimpanzees are not domesticated animals, no matter how much they look like and have in common with human animals.

Domesticated animals include dogs, cats and humans.

Undomesticated animals include all Apes, monkies, bears, tigers, etc.

It's not that hard to know the difference. If you try to keep an undomesticated animal as a pet, you're asking for trouble.

[Mariana]

59. Certainly they shouldn't be.. Nevertheless he WAS a pet

and as such he should have been neutered.

I do hope that anyone keeping apes or other dangerous animals as pets will STOP now.

Edited for spelling error.

[rug]

51. I don't do half of that with my wife.

[cherish44]

63. I think this relationship was weird, I don't think it was romantic or sexual

I think he was just a companion to her and she doted on him. She was based in reality enough when she was screaming for the police to kill the animal when it attacked her friend. Somehow I don't think she'd have been so adamant had the chimp been her "lover". My cat sleeps and cuddles with me too and sometimes the little bugger will climb up on top of the shower when I'm in there. And yet he never returns my calls!