According to the Cleveland Clinic, 55 year old Charla Nash is in critical, but stable condition after sustaining “severe trauma to her face, scalp and hands.” It may take up a week to evaluate the injuries that she sustained when a friend’s pet chimpanzee mauled her.
Medical workers in Stanford, Connecticut found Nash face down in friend Sandra Herold’s driveway. The initial police officer to arrive on the scene called ahead to warn dispatchers that the victim’s face was completely torn away and the body wasn’t identifiable as a male or female. The injuries sustained were nothing short of nightmarish and extensive.
The injuries required more than 7 hours of surgery by four teams of doctors just to stabilize her. At the present, it is unknown if Nash will be a candidate for a face transplant.
There is conflicting information swirling about this controversial attack. On NBC’s Today show, Herold stated that she gave the chimpanzee the anti-anxiety medication Xanax approximately 5 minutes before he attacked Nash, even displaying the mug that she gave him. Police have stated that she issued the same statement to them, yet in the Associated Press, she denied ever giving the chimpanzee Xanax. Xanax could be attributed to the chimpanzees rage. Dr. Emil Coccaro, chief of psychiatry at the University of Chicago Medical Center stated, “Xanax could have made him worse.” In humans, Xanax can lead to aggression in people would are unstable.
Travis, the chimpanzee, was fatally shot by police. Herold attempted to intervene, even stabbing her beloved pet in an effort to stop the attack on Nash. Her frantic, terrified plea for help can be heard on the 911 call that was released on Tuesday.
This almost begs a reminder to the 1950’s Today show incident with J. Fred Muggs. Muggs was a chimp that appeared almost every single day with the host of the show, Dave Garroway. Muggs was an entertaining co-host and a lot of fun until one day he flipped out and literally destroyed the set.
Exotic animals are not cuddly toys or typically good pets. Here’s a great article on realistic facts surrounding chimpanzees.
Comments
Personally I kinda feel like some others I have talked to on that chimp attack , I think there was some serious monkey business going on , I understand the woman and chimp shared the same Bed and he drink champagne from a fluted wine glass , Come onnn what I think is the chimp was just defending what was good to him like he would in the wild hint hint sad but true , people have taken the love for pets a bit too fare in many cases.
i beleive that it is the owners fault and she should be sent to prison.
a chimp is a chimp all in all its an animal and shouldnt not be treated like a human. I feel bad for the chimp and for Nash.
Chimps are wild animals... they should be swinging from trees and doing what they do...not be kept within walls....a clear indication 'the chimp opens the front door and escapes' well hello.... he does not want to be treated as a child... he is a monkey!! If the woman was looking after this animal because it was injured and then she was going to return him to somewhere safe that was 'HIS' environment then that would be different. But making an animal that should be outdoors and free live within four walls is going to have its consequences and sadly this is it!
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