In case you haven't seen the story about the attack chimp....it's shocking, disturbing, tragic and very sad. A 70-year old woman in Stamford, Ct had raised 15-year old Travis since he was just a baby. He ate at the table, drank wine out of stemmed glasses, brushed his owners hair and slept with her every night. A special relationship between a widow, Sandra Herold and a wild animal, her pet. Then something went terribly wrong. Here's the story:
http://http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495326,00.htmlterribly .
The question now, will Herold face criminal or civil charges? The woman who was attacked, 55-year old Charla Nash has worked for Herold for many years...they were best friends and Nash has known Travis for most of his life... Herold says she's devastated and that she has nothing left. Her pet, who was more like a family member, is gone and her friend scarred for life. Nash will face years of surgeries to correct the damage to her face and body. Will she ever be the same? Inevitably, Herold will pay for the attack...both emotionally and financially. But more importantly, the story brings to light that a wild animal, regardless of how cute and cuddly he is, should never be made a pet. These animals cannot be domesticated, no matter how hard someone tries... Wild animals may be submissive for a while, adjusting to the human world, but eventually their instinctive behavior will take over and their natural wild behavior will come to the forefront. I love all animals, but these exotic animals need to remain in the wild or behind a very large wall or fence at the zoo.
