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Travis (chimpanzee)

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Template:Recent animal death

Travis
File:Travis (chimpanzee).jpg
Travis in 1998[1]
SpeciesCommon Chimpanzee
SexMale
Notable rolePet, occasional actor
Known forAttack on owner's friend
OwnerJerome Herold (deceased)
Sandra Herold
Parent(s)Suzy (mother)
WeightTemplate:Lb to kg

Travis (1995[2] – February 16, 2009) was a male chimpanzee who appeared in American television shows and commercials. He reached worldwide notice when he was fatally shot by police after a sudden, vicious attack on a friend of his keeper.

As an animal actor, Travis had appeared in several television commercials, including spots for Coca-Cola and Old Navy.[3] He had also appeared on The Maury Povich Show and appeared in a television pilot that featured Sheryl Crow and Michael Moore.[4][5]

Socialization

Travis was born near Festus, Missouri at Mike and Connie Braun Casey's compound, currently named the Missouri Chimpanzee Sanctuary. In a separate incident, Travis' mother Suzy was shot and killed following an escape and rampage in 2001.[6] He was adopted by Sandra and Jerome Herold when he was three days old.[2] They raised Travis at their home at Rock Rimmon Road in the North Stamford section of Stamford, Connecticut.[7] Travis was the Herolds' constant companion, and would often accompany them to work and when they went shopping in town.[7] The Herolds owned a towing company and Travis would pose for photos at the shop and ride with the tow truck. Travis became well known in the town and had been known to like police officers who they would encounter when towing cars.[7] Like most wild animals, the chimpanzee could not be domesticated, but he was socialized. Travis was toilet trained, able to open doors using keys, could dress himself, watered plants, was able to feed hay to his owner's horses, ate at a table with the rest of the family, drank wine from a stemmed glass, logged onto the computer to look at pictures, used the Internet, watched television using a remote control, and brushed his teeth using a Water Pik.[4][3] Travis also slept in the same bed with her owner. On television, he enjoyed watching baseball.[8] Travis had also driven a car on several occasions.[9] Jerome died from cancer in 2004, and their only child died in a car accident; as a result, Sandra Herold considered Travis as a son and pampered him.[7][9]

Incidents

1996 incident

After the 2009 incident became an international news story, a woman who had lived in the same area as Travis claimed that in 1996 the chimpanzee had bitten her hand and tried to pull her into a vehicle as she greeted him. She claimed to have complained to the Herolds and to police.[10]

2003 incident

In October 2003, Travis escaped from the Herolds' car and held up traffic at a busy intersection for several hours.[11] The incident began when a young man threw something at the car that went through a half-open window and struck Travis while they were stopped at a traffic light. Startled, Travis unbuckled his seat belt, opened the car door and went after the man, but did not catch him. When police arrived, they lured the chimpanzee into the car several times only to have Travis let himself out of another door and occasionally chase the officers around the car.[7] The 2003 incident led to the passing of a Connecticut law prohibiting people from keeping primates weighing more than 50 pounds as pets and requires owners of exotic pets to apply for a permit. The new law took effect in 2004, and as of Travis' death, no one in the state had applied to own a chimpanzee. The Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection did not enforce the law on the Herolds because they had owned the 200 pound Travis for so long, anti-ex post facto law applies.[12][2]

2009 attack

On February 16, 2009, Travis attacked Sandra Herold's friend Charla Nash, age 55, inflicting grave injuries over her face and limbs. Travis had left the house with Sandra's car keys, and Nash came to help get the animal back in the house; upon seeing Nash, Travis immediately attacked her.[7] Travis was familiar with Nash, who had also worked at the Herolds' towing company, although Nash had a different hair style at the time of the attack.[13] Earlier in the day, Herold may have given Travis the anti-anxiety drug Xanax, in a cup of tea because he had been acting anxious; the ape had also been taking medication for Lyme disease.[9] During the attack, Herold, then 70 years old, tried to stop Travis by hitting him with a shovel and stabbing him with a butcher knife; however this did not stop the attack. Sandra Herold then called 9-1-1 and gave a desperate plea for help to stop Travis from killing Nash.[14]. Emergency medical services waited for police before approaching the house. Upon arriving, Travis walked to the police car and tried to open the passenger door, smashing the side-view mirror. Unable to get it open, the chimpanzee went around to the driver's-side door and opened it, at which point the police officer fired several rounds into Travis, mortally wounding the animal. Travis retreated to his cage in the house, where he was found dead.[7]

Injuries to Nash were described as "horrendous" by the emergency crew.[11] Within the following 72 hours, she underwent more than seven hours of surgery on her face and hands by four teams of surgeons; because of the nature of the injuries, the hospital provided counseling to its staff members who initially treated her.[15] Paramedics noted she lost her nose, eyes and jaw in the attack.[16] Her injuries made her a possible candidate for an experimental face transplant surgery.[15] After initial treatment at Stamford Hospital, Nash was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio.[17] As per standard procedure, Travis' head was taken to the state laboratory for a rabies test and the body was taken to the University of Connecticut for a necropsy.[3] The body tested negative for rabies.[10]

News reports of the incident spread as far as Ireland and China.[18][19] The attack provoked discussion on the wisdom of keeping such exotic animals as pets by sources such as primatologist Frans de Waal and Time magazine.[20][21] Afterward, Sandra Herold was allegedly harassed by members of PETA, although the organization states that they do not have any official involvement.[22][23]

Cartoon controversy

The incident inspired a controversy over a political cartoon: On February 18, 2009 the New York Post published a piece by Sean Delonas depicting a police officer with a smoking gun, standing over the corpse of a chimpanzee, and commenting to a fellow officer, "They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill."[24] The publication of the comic triggered media and other commentary which purported a link between the cartoon's chimpanzee and the stimulus bill's champion, President Barack Obama, and racial overtones relating to African Americans being portrayed as apes.[25][24][26][27] On February 24, 2009, the owner and Chairman of the Post, Rupert Murdoch, apologized for the cartoon.[28]

Influence on legislation

Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal noted that a defect in the existing 2004 Connecticut law prohibiting chimpanzees of Travis's size, itself a result of the 2003 incident, allowed the attack to occur. A Connecticut Department of Environmental Protection (DEP) spokesman clarified that Travis was exempt because he did not appear to present a public health risk and was owned before the registration requirement began. Blumenthal subsequently sent letters to legislative leaders and the DEP Commissioner, asking them to support a proposed law that would ban all potentially dangerous exotic animals, such as chimpanzees, crocodiles and poisonous snakes, from being kept in a residential setting in Connecticut. The DEP was seeking a similar law banning large primates and, after the incident, announced that it sought the help of the public, police officers and animal control officers to report such pets to the agency.[29] The editorial board of The Advocate newspaper in Stamford also advocated banning the possession of all exotic birds and reptiles.[30]

Coincidentally, the Captive Primate Safety Act was introduced by U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer on January 6, 2009. The Bill would add monkeys, great apes and lemurs to the list of "prohibited wildlife species" that cannot be sold or purchased through interstate and foreign sales.[12][31] The attack led the Humane Society of the United States to join with the Wildlife Conservation Society in supporting the Act.[12] Travis's attack resulted in the Bill's reintroduction by co-sponsor, Rep. Mark Kirk, on February 23, 2009.[31][32] Rep. Rob Bishop argued against the Bill during the floor debate, noting it would cost $4 million annually and do nothing directly to prevent chimpanzee attacks on humans. He also noted such attacks are relatively rare.[33] Twenty states and the District of Columbia already have laws banning primates as pets.[34] On February 23, 2009 the House voted 323 to 95 in favor of the Bill. The House version would exempt monkey helpers.[33]

See also

References

  1. ^ Desmarais, Paul, Staff Photographer of The Advocate. In April 1998, Sandra Herold plays with her pet chimpanzee Travis in the office . . . Stamford, CT: The Advocate, http://www.stamfordadvocate.com/ci_11758552
  2. ^ a b c Brian Lockhart, State turned blind eye to Stamford chimpanzee, The Advocate (Stamford), February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  3. ^ a b c Stephanie Gallman, Chimp attack 911 call: 'He's ripping her apart', CNN, February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  4. ^ a b Roger Catlin, About that Chimp, Hartford Courant, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  5. ^ James Bone, Celebrity chimp who savaged handler in drug-fuelled frenzy shot dead, The Times, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  6. ^ Rich Schapiro, Mom of crazed chimpanzee, Travis, also shot dead during rage in 2001, New York Daily News, February 21, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
  7. ^ a b c d e f g Jeff Morganteen, Victim's face mauled in Stamford chimpanzee attack, Stamford Advocate, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009. Cite error: The named reference "SA021609" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
  8. ^ Ed Pilkington, Chimpanzee shot after attack outside New York, The Guardian, February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  9. ^ a b c Mike Celizic, Owner describes chimp’s terrifying rampage, TODAYShow.com, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009; also see associated video available on the Today Show website.
  10. ^ a b John Christofferen, Woman says Connecticut chimpanzee bit her in '96, Associated Press, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  11. ^ a b Andy Newman and Anahad O'Connor, Woman Mauled by Chimp Is Still in Critical Condition, The New York Times, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  12. ^ a b c Travis Led to New Law in '04, NBCConnecticut.com, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  13. ^ Devon Lash, Family: Victim makes 'good, but small, progress", Stamford Advocate, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 20, 2009.
  14. ^ Chimp Attack 911 Call, CBS' official channel on YouTube, February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  15. ^ a b Anahad O'Connor, Woman Mauled by Chimp Has Surgery, and Her Vital Signs Improve, The New York Times, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  16. ^ Edgar Sandoval and Rich Schapiro, Charla Nash lost eyes, nose and jaw in chimpanzee attack, New York Daily News, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  17. ^ Lawrence K. Altman and Anahad O'Connor, Cleveland Clinic Gets Victim of Chimp Attack, The New York Times, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 20, 2009.
  18. ^ Ed Pilkington, Celebrity chimp shot dead by police, Irish Times, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  19. ^ TV advert chimp attacks woman, police, China Daily, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  20. ^ Frans de Waal, Another Chimp Bites the Dust, Huffington Post, February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  21. ^ Bryan Walsh, Why the Stamford Chimp Attacked, Time, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  22. ^ Roy Edroso, Crazed Chimp 911 Tape Revealed; PETA Peeps Harrass Owner, Village Voice, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  23. ^ Tony Aiello, Chimp Owner Hammered With Threatening Calls, WCBStv.com, February 17, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  24. ^ a b Nico Hines, Protesters picket New York Post over chimp cartoon, The Times, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  25. ^ Roland S. Martin, Commentary: NY Post cartoon is racist and careless, CNN, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  26. ^ Gabe Pressman, The Unfunny Cartoon, MSNBC.com, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  27. ^ Simone Weichselbaum, New York Post chimpanzee stimulus cartoon draws cops' ire, New York Daily News, February 19, 2009, Accessed February 19, 2009.
  28. ^ Rupert Murdoch, STATEMENT FROM RUPERT MURDOCH, New York Post, February 24, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
  29. ^ John Christofferen, Slain chimp's owner now says it wasn't on Xanax, Associated Press, February 18, 2009, Accessed February 18, 2009.
  30. ^ Ban the possession of wild animals, The Advocate (Stamford), February 18, 2009, Accessed February 20, 2009.
  31. ^ a b Peter Urban, U.S. House to vote on primate ban, The Advocate (Stamford), February 23, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
  32. ^ Ben Smith, The Primate Act of '09, Politico.com, February 23, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
  33. ^ a b Peter Urban, House approves primate pet ban, Connecticut Post, February 24, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
  34. ^ House tightens restrictions on chimps as pets, USA TODAY, February 24, 2009, Accessed February 24, 2009.
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