When chimpanzees attack.

[HI express]

Just when you thought you were safe...in the news today a 64 year old man went to a place where they housed his chimpanzee. While he and his wife were there for the man's birthday, four chimpanzees escaped from another cage and the two male chimpanzees decided to attack this man.

Result? Both eyes gouged out of its sockets, nose taken off of his face and various other injuries were visited on this poor guy by these two chimpanzees. The news reported that the paramedics when they arrived on scene and after the two male chimpanzees were shot to death, had to round up all the body parts of this guy...they news people figured that they could reinstall all these body parts with a good plastic surgeon.

Of course this was in California (Bakersfield) so he couldn't carry legally.

But, there you go....comments anyone? We don't need to carry for self-defense? How are our lawmakers going to explain that one to the guy about not being allowed to carry in this state? Ban the monkeys now?

Disgusting!

 

[Gordon Fink]

I don’t know the details, but I’m sure the poor guy was taken by surprise.

~G. Fink

 

[Bear Gulch]

I feel really bad for this fellow. But, I feel that all this is caused by the Disneyfication of America, where folks forget that chimps are strong, wild animals that engage in predatory behavior. It's like Siegfried and Roy and people being amazed when a 400 lb cat acts like the predator nature programed it to be.

 

[Nazirite]

I was watching the national geographic channel a while back that had a special on chimps. These animals can be very deadly not just to monkeys but to humans as well. They were discussing one older chimp that attacked people in an African country. One women’s baby was snatched by this same chimp and taken off into the surrounding forest. Some of the male villagers went to look for the baby and they found the chimp eating the babies face. The kid later died.

 

[WT]

I once visited a pharmaceutical company's animal laboratory. They had about 50 chimps. Was like visiting a prison with all the locks on the doors and security. Technicians said that the chimps were very smart and could figure out about any lock, even combination locks.

 

[Car Knocker]

HI express,

I believe that there are in excess of 45,000 CCW permit holders in CA. How many are there in HI?

 

[Darkmind]

Hears the deal on CNN.

http://www.cnn.com/2005/US/03/04/chimp.attack.ap/index.html


BAKERSFIELD, California (AP) -- 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.





Other reports also state that he only lost one eye.

 

[ralphie98]

can't believe we're 7 posts in and nobody has brought up the obvious question... What is the best defense load for angry chimps?

Judging by the attached photo, chimps prefer Glocks so be prepared

 

[moa]

From the article:

"His testicles and a foot also were severed, Kern County Sheriff's Cmdr. Hal Chealander told The Bakersfield Californian."

The chimps bit the man's foot off? That is amazing. I can see a hyena or a croc, or something like that, biting a foot off, but a chimp?

 

[Werewolf]

The chimps bit the man's foot off? That is amazing. I can see a hyena or a croc, or something like that, biting a foot off, but a chimp?

Heh...

Probably never seen a real chimp then. Most people when they think chimpanzee think movie chimp. Movie chimps are pygmy chimpanzees, babies or children.

Non Pygmy chimps are huge. Some get to 6' tall easily and weigh 180 to 200 lbs. AND they're stronger - way, way stronger - than they look. They've got a full set of choppers to include fangs.

Believe me - if you'd ever seen a full sized non-pygmy chimp you'd believe they could do what the article says they did.

Heck my uncle had an organ grinder monkey (capuchin) once - for about 3 months - that was one tough little guy. You didn't really want to piss him off.

IMO primates don't make good pets. They're too smart, not easily intimidated (thus not easily trained) and real tough to boot. They can be loving pets but will often turn on one for no apparent reason.

 

[mbs357]

Whoa.
That's pretty messed up...

 

[Grey54956]

Let this be a lesson to all: Chimpanzees are an abomination. They mock proper humans...

Know your enemy. It is the chimpanzee...

Another cryptic message brought to you by Grey...

 

[Dave Markowitz]

Believe me - if you'd ever seen a full sized non-pygmy chimp you'd believe they could do what the article says they did.

Yup, don't think "cute little monkey." Think "wookie."

 

[FPrice]

ralphie98...

can't believe we're 7 posts in and nobody has brought up the obvious question... What is the best defense load for angry chimps?

Judging by the attached photo, chimps prefer Glocks so be prepared

Easy, give the chimp a Glock 23 and some old Federal HydraShoks. Then let the Glock KABOOMS begin!

 

[lbmii]

Well you know what you were taught back in the third grade:

It's OK to bring in a birthday cake but make sure you bring enough for everyone. Less someone will get all mad and upset and rip your off and beat you over the head with it.

 

[joshlm]

I recently saw a show on either national geographic or dicovery on the the way chimps hunt. I highly recomend the show if you want to see what they are really capable of. They had excellent footage of male groups hunting males from other tribes and attacking them. They are known to tear off the genetalia, and consume the hands, feet, and face of their prey. They even tore off the limbs of some prey. The show was very interesting and made it seem as though the male chimps hunted for the joy of the kill, so to speak.

 

[Werewolf]

They are known to tear off the genetalia, and consume the hands, feet, and face of their prey. They even tore off the limbs of some prey. The show was very interesting and made it seem as though the male chimps hunted for the joy of the kill, so to speak.

Those actions almost seem to be a primitive warrior victory ritual.

Chimps - Man - 98.5% common DNA.
Hmmmmm...

 

[Covey Rise]

Planet errr State of the Apes err Chimps

All they needed was Charlton Heston or Marky Mark, maybe the chimps will bite enough of those gun grabbing liberals and Cali can get CCW for protection against....oh nevermind.

 

[pittspilot]

Chimps, as well as Baboons, will take any dog, no matter what type, apart in seconds.

If it can take a dog apart, imagine what it could do to you. People just fail to understand just how strong these beasties are, and how weak we are in return. As least in hand to hand.

 

[Sindawe]

They even tore off the limbs of some prey. The show was very interesting and made it seem as though the male chimps hunted for the joy of the kill, so to speak.

I'm sure they do. I've also seen footage of male Chimps checking the borders of their territory, which looked to all appearances like a human military patrol. IIRC, they have been documented reports of actual warfare between chimp bands, with the more powerful group hunting down and killing as many of the other band as they can find. There have also been aberrations in the species. One, Passion I think she was named by Jane Goodall, was a devoted cannibal on the young in her group, and taught this to her son, who become a real "moma's boy".

The "pigmy chimp" is a whole other animal. As Werewolf noted, some of the "chimpanzees" one see's in shows are actually Bonobos. This site has a decent comparison of the two. I find this difference the most striking:

Chimps: *Males are dominant and control with violence. (the most violent is top chimp, and gets all the fun)

Bonobos: *Females are dominant and control with sex. (the violent chap is kicked out, and he ain't getting none)

Seams OUR species falls somewhere in the middle.

What is the best defense load for angry chimps?

I'd say the same thing one uses for Grizzly Bears.

 

[Texian Pistolero]

Ja' mean that the cute little ape in "Bedtime for Bonzo" is really a potential PSYCHO?

 

[larryw]

As that casio dude in Vegas learned, a tiger is a tiger. No matter how domesticated they appear, wild animals will always be wild. Treat them like pets and become their prey.

 

[Gordon Fink]

Also, let’s not forget that this attack was ended by a private citizen with a firearm. Otherwise, Mr. Davis would surely have been killed.

~G. Fink

 

[c_yeager]

From the article:

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.

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.

While the person certainly didnt deserve what happened to him I can't help but think that he is part of the problem here. People taking "pets" like these when they are small and cute and trying to domesticate them is why we have these problems. Their ape bit off part of a womans finger and they still wanted it back. (how the heck was it not destroyed at this point?)

The striking thing is that this wasnt even one of the chimps that attacked him. So that means that out of the seven chimps that are at this sanctuary at least three of the males were violent towards humans. I don't know why anyone would think that an ape the size of a chimp would make a good pet. At least it appears that the sanctuary was partly prepared for such a thing. Maybe this will serve as some kind of lesson for the next person that wants a chimp for a cuddly pet.

The chimps bit the man's foot off?

Great Apes are just smart enough to possess a bit of malice and perhaps the capacity for insanity. Some of the things that they do to each other are not unlike the things that the most horrible examples of our race to do one another. It seems as though these were chimps that didnt really think that they were different from humans. They treated this guy just how they would treat a male chimp intruding on their territory. I would guess that this is because they were raised by humans, and don't see any difference.

EDIT: I was looking for any other articles and I stumbled upon this one. It is completely unrelated to the story but it does show some of the interesting behaviors that chimps can exibit towards humans (note that the removal of limbs is common). Note that the chimps in this story are juveniles and not full grown like the one's in the California incident.

http://www.primates.com/chimps/drunk-n-disorderly.html

But, they are so cute and cuddly! :banghead:

 

[DT Guy]

Where'd you get the picture of my sister-in-law holding the Glock?




Larry