Market data provided by Factset. Travis attacked her hands, face, and genitals. ... a 911 operator's delay in responding to the victim's frantic call for help. 911 Call: 'The Chimp Killed My Friend!' [39], In March 2009, an attorney for Charla Nash's family filed a $50 million lawsuit against Sandra Herold. The 90kg 'pet' flipped out - it might have been an unexpected reaction to taking Xanax. By JJ Duncan on 2009-02-18 10:57:08 Travis the Chimpanzee was a popular figure in Stamford, CT, where he appeared in commercials for his owner's towing company. The Associated Press contributed to this report. Christoffersen, John, of Associated Press. In that graphic 911 call, Herold, the primate’s owner, implored police to shoot the animal as it was attacking her friend, Charla Nash, 55. [45], Nash attempted to sue the state of Connecticut in 2013 but her claim was denied. The chimp attacked Nash as Herold, 70, frantically stabbed her beloved pet with a butcher knife and pounded him with a shovel. [6] He had also appeared on The Maury Povich Show, The Man Show, and a television pilot that featured Sheryl Crow and Michael Moore. [34] Necropsy results in May 2009 confirmed the chimp was overweight and had been stabbed. Sound from the original 9-1-1 call, radio traffic from the police shooting of Travis, and the aftermath of the hunt were used in the episode. Herold said she was turned away from the hospital when she went to visit Nash Tuesday, MyFOXNY reported. [7][8][dubious – discuss], Travis was born near Festus, Missouri on October 21, 1995, at Mike and Connie Braun Casey's compound, currently named the Missouri Chimpanzee Sanctuary. [37][38] Xanax is a short-acting, potent anti-anxiety drug that can cause disinhibition and disorientation and occasionally paradoxical reactions of hallucination, aggression, rage, and mania in humans. [10] Herold, then 70 years old, attempted to stop Travis by hitting him on the head with a shovel and stabbing him in the back with a butcher knife. [15] Travis had also driven a car on several occasions. He's got no face.". "There's no way to explain it any different.". ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. U.S. Representative Earl Blumenauer introduced the Captive Primate Safety Act introduced on January 6, 2009, which would have added monkeys, great apes, and lemurs to the list of "prohibited wildlife species" that cannot be sold or purchased through interstate and foreign sales. Nash had gone to Herold's home in Stamford on Monday to help her coax the chimp back into the house after he got out, police said. Market data provided by Factset. A neighbor said he used to play around and wrestle with Travis. WARNING GRAPHIC. She then called 911 before stabbing the chimp with butcher knife and hitting him with a shovel. '"[10] The animal grew angrier. WFSB Travis the chimp attacked police cars during the Feb. 16, 2009 rampage in Stamford, Conn. Police shot and killed the 200-lb animal after it ripped off Charla Nash's hands, nose, lips and eyelids. In a separate incident, Travis' mother Suzy was fatally shot following an escape in 2001. [26] Her family started a trust fund to raise money to pay her "unfathomable" medical bills and support her daughter. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. Blayce (@blaycewilson) has created a short video on TikTok with music Blade Runner 2049. [54][55], Frank Chiafari—the police officer who fatally shot Travis—was initially unable to get his therapy for depression and anxiety covered after the incident. Police said that the chimp was agitated earlier Monday and that Herold had given him the anti-anxiety drug Xanax in some tea. Marcella Leone came home from a trip in September 2008, turned on her answering machine, and discovered a disturbing, frantic message from Sandra Herold , the owner of Travis the chimpanzee. All rights reserved. He logged onto the computer to look at pictures, watched television using a remote control, and brushed his teeth using a Water Pik. This led to legislation proposed in 2010 that would cover a police officer's compensation for mental or emotional impairment after he used justifiable deadly force to kill an animal. [29], The incident became an international news story. [56], Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal noted that a defect in the existing 2004 Connecticut law prohibiting chimpanzees of Travis' size, itself a result of the 2003 incident, allowed the attack to occur. Click here to read more from MyFOXNY.com. Charla Nash was attacked by her friends pet chimp Travis in 2009 Credit: WENN. [48], News reports of the incident spread as far as China. [12] The 2003 incident led to the passing of a Connecticut law prohibiting people from keeping primates weighing more than 50 pounds (23 kg) as pets and requiring owners of exotic pets to apply for permits. Police said they are looking into the possibility of criminal charges. [12] Travis was the Herolds' constant companion and would often accompany them to work and on their shopping excursions in town. After the animal lunged at Nash when she got out of her car, Herold ran inside to call 911 and returned with a knife. Then he went calmly around to the driver's-side door and opened it, at which point Officer Frank Chiafari shot him several times. An officer shot Travis several times after the animal opened the door to his cruiser and started to get in. The hospital provided counseling to its staff members who initially treated her because of the extraordinary nature of Nash's wounds. Sandra called 911, and when police arrived, they found Charla in a devastating state. [46] Nash's petition to sue was denied on the basis that at the time of the attack, no statute existed that prohibited the private ownership of a chimpanzee. [40] On May 6, a Stamford judge froze Herold's assets, valued at US$10 million. Travis, a chimp just reaching adolescence attacked and severely maimed Charla Nash, a friend of the chimp's owner (the chimp's owner is the one on the 911 call). [17] Within the following 72 hours, Nash underwent more than seven hours of surgery on her face and hands by four teams of surgeons. The attack was believed to be unprovoked. [6][7][14] He enjoyed watching baseball on television. [28] Pictures have surfaced on the Internet displaying Nash's face before and after the attack. [12], The emergency crew described Nash's injuries as "horrendous". "[21][22][23] Emergency medical services waited for police before approaching the house. "[13], Travis could open doors using keys, dress himself, water plants, feed hay to his owners' horses, eat at a table with the rest of the family, and drink wine from a stemmed glass; he was so fond of ice cream that he learned the schedules of passing ice cream trucks. Moments before she had tried to tempt the "agitated" ape back in to his cage using his favourite stuffed Elmo toy. [12] Travis was familiar with Nash, who had also worked at the Herolds' towing company, although Nash had a different hairstyle at the time of the attack, which may have confused and alarmed him. He was shot dead when he tried to attack a police officer. Travis was the son of Coco, who’d been snatched from the jungles of equatorial Africa in the early seventies and purchased for $12,000, and an 11-year-old retired zoo chimp named Suzy. 2009. Charla's face and hands were ripped off by teenage chimp, Travis in an attack which many still struggle to comprehend. But the chimpanzee returned and went after several of the officers, who retreated into their cars, Conklin said. [51][52][53] Afterward, PETA members allegedly harassed Herold, although the organization stated that it did not have any official involvement. Posts about chimp 911 call written by lankorama. She was not at that time in physical pain from the attack, and family members said she hoped to leave the Cleveland Clinic soon. Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp named Travis, wrestled with the animal after it inexplicably attacked her friend Charla Nash, 55. [42] The defense claimed the chimp had no violent behavior before the attack, and the two accusations in the 1990s attacks were untrue because the chimp had no teeth at the time. [12] The Herolds owned a towing company, and Travis would pose for photos at the shop and ride with the tow truck, his seatbelt buckled as he wore a baseball shirt. [59][60] Rep. Click here to watch the MyFOXNY interview with Sandra Herold. When Travis unleashed his fury on her friend Charla Nash, Herold stabbed the chimp repeatedly with a butcher's knife and called 911. [57] The editorial board of The Advocate newspaper in Stamford also advocated banning the possession of all exotic birds and reptiles.[58]. It was a bloodbath. Police say Travis, seen here as a younger chimp, was like a child to his owner, Sandra Herold. He slept with me every night. Herold, at this point believing Nash to be dead, then called 9-1-1 and pleaded for help. Chimpanzees are really aggressors, primate experts say, and the owner admitted to News sources that she had given the chimp Travis xanax minutes before. According to news reports, Sandra called Charla because Sandra's 14-year-old pet chimpanzee, Travis, escaped and she needed help getting him back inside. 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. The events of that dreadful day were documented in a haunting 911 call, where you can … Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. Travis the chimp 911 call. In July 2013, Nash's attorneys began efforts to appeal the court's decision. "For me to do something like that—put a knife in him—was like putting one in myself," Herold later said. Travis headed towards the police car when it arrived, tried to open a locked passenger door, and smashed a side-view mirror. Travis, a then-10-year-old chimpanzee, sits in the corner of his playroom in 2003. After the initial attack, Travis ran away and started roaming Herold's property until police arrived, setting up security so medics could reach the critically injured woman, Conklin said. The 911 call you hear was made by the Chimps owner and is graphic and uncut. He doesn't look good," he says, referring to the disfigured Nash. "We've got to get this guy out of here. The chimp can be heard grunting at times on the tape, as Herold cries, "He's killing my friend! [47], Travis' escape and subsequent attack of Charla Nash were used as part of the "Chimps" episode of the Animal Planet 2010-2011 documentary series: Fatal Attractions. "I just don't know why he would do that. A frantic 911 Call from Sandy Herold whos pet chimpanze Travis attacked her friend Charla Nash after an attempt to calm him down. Currently Featured on the Huffington Post. She suffered "a tremendous loss of blood" from serious facial injuries, police said. Neither fazed Travis, who police said was like a child to Herold. He added the animal always knew when to stop and paid close attention to its owner. [63][64] The bill was never taken up by the US Senate. [61] Twenty states and the District of Columbia already have laws banning primates as pets. [9] Sandra and Jerome Herold adopted Travis when he was three days old. Travis (October 21, 1995 – February 16, 2009) was a male common chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) who, in February 2009, mauled a friend of his owner in Stamford, Connecticut, blinding her while severing several body parts and severely lacerating her face. "He's ripping her apart," Sandra Herold, 70, tells dispatchers about her pet, Travis. Investigators said they were also told that Travis had Lyme disease, a tick-borne illness with flu-like symptoms that can lead to arthritis and meningitis in humans. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Nash was in critical condition Tuesday. [17] The incident began after a pedestrian threw something at the car that went through a partially open window and struck Travis while they were stopped at a traffic light. Listen to the 911 Call The wounded chimpanzee fled into the house and retreated to his living quarters, where he died. "He listened better than my nephews," the neighbor remarked after Travis had mauled Nash. [24] After initial treatment at Stamford Hospital, Nash was transferred to the Cleveland Clinic in Cleveland, Ohio. [6] The head tested negative for rabies,[33] but there was Xanax (Alprazolam) remaining in his system. ", "It's just been hell," she told MyFOXNY. She's trying to get Travis' body so he can be cremated on her property, but cannot due to the police investigation. [27] Nash revealed her damaged face in public for the first time on The Oprah Winfrey Show on November 11, 2009. ©2021 FOX News Network, LLC. Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's frantic call to police Monday as her beloved 15-year-old, 200-pound chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash. A pet owner can be held criminally responsible if he or she knew or should have known that an animal was a danger to others. Travis became well known in the town and had been known to greet police officers they would encounter when towing cars. 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. Police in Stamford released 911 tapes of Sandra Herold's frantic call to police Monday as her beloved 15-year-old, 200-pound chimp, Travis, was attacking 55-year-old Charla Nash. [3][10] They named the chimp for Sandra's favorite singer, Travis Tritt. ", Herold replies, "My chimpanzee! Herold disputed those reports Wednesday, telling The Associated Press that she "never, ever" gave Xanax to the animal. 911 Call: 'The Chimp Killed My Friend!' [35] The remains were cremated at All Pets Crematory in Stamford on February 25, 2009. When he was younger, Travis 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, according to a 2003 story in The Advocate newspaper of Stamford. [19] Travis had left the house with Sandra Herold's car keys, and Nash came to help get the chimp back in the house; upon seeing Nash holding a Tickle Me Elmo—one of his favorite toys—Travis flew into a rage and attacked her. He also claimed such attacks are relatively rare. [10], Jerome died from cancer in 2004, and the Herolds' only child died in a car accident; as a result, Sandra Herold regarded Travis almost as a surrogate son and pampered him. In the end, her heart, which had been broken so many times before, could take no more. In 2009 a pet chimpanzee left a woman critically injured in an attack in Stamford, Connecticut. A former Connecticut resident says a chimpanzee's brutal attack on a woman Monday wasn't the animal's first time lashing out.