Chimps Shot Dead After Attacking Visitors At California Sanctuary

WFTV ^ | 3/4/05

[KidGlock]

Chimps Shot Dead After Attacking Visitors At California Sanctuary

POSTED: 8:08 am EST March 4, 2005

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. -- 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.

[Blood of Tyrants]

A human has got only a prayer of a chance against an adult male chimp.

[FilthyHands]

A prayer or a Smith and Wesson.

[thoughtomator]

Maybe they should have gotten a clue when it bit off part of a woman's finger 6 years ago. Idiots. Birthday parties for chimps? How stupid can you get?

[Sender]

Scratch chimpanzees of the list of animals I might want someday.

[martin_fierro]

Deadtime for Bonzo.

[Texas_Jarhead]

"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."
Yikes

[Brilliant]

What? No trial?

[BrianCG]

"His testicles and a foot also were severed"

GOOD GOD...I have an idea, the army's new battalion of bunker busting testicle craving anti-terror unit

[WorkingClassFilth]

Monkeys are funny.

[hershey]

Whenever people anthropomorphize animals, they do animals (dogs, chimps, cats, whatever), a profound disservice and end up suffering the consequences.

[bill1952]

I'm waiting for PETA to say that we have no more right to live than a vicious chimp, and that shooting it was a criminal act.

[Jazzman1]

the LIBERALS will most assuredly want charges brought up on the gun-toting samaritan...lol

[tje]

The chimp that bit off the finger previously was not involved in this attack.

But that should clue people in to just how iffy treating these animals as pets really is...

[AEMILIUS PAULUS]

I guess he is now part of the faceless multitude.

[SerpentDove]

Here in Dallas, when police shot the escaped gorilla (who also attacked), the enviroweeinies held a candlelight vigil for the dear departed ape.

I can only imagine what will happen in California.

[Walkingfeather]

LMAO......

[hershey]

I didn't mean my comment as criticism of these poor people. I'm guilty of treating my dogs like kids and spoiling them rotten, but I've learned a great deal by watching The Dog Whisperer on the National Geographic Channel.

[SMARTY]

Well, it IS California.

[Bon mots]

A human has got only a prayer of a chance against an adult male chimp.

Like they say, the adult male chimp attacked the male human, and castrated him. Then he proceeded to disassemble him... severed foot, nose and probably some broken bones too. Chimps are brutal beasts.

These two kind of remind me of that bear 'expert' that got eaten by bears.

[thoughtomator]

Oh they DID get his testicles. Well then, I think a nomination for a Darwin Award is appropriate.

[Blood of Tyrants]

Their great strength is why people who have them as pets generally get rid of them by the time the chimps are about 6 or so.

[January24th]

That's why they call them animals.

[jec41]

Moe instigated this. He had a history of finger biting.
Probably told the others , look guys there are a couple of chumps (not to be confused with chimps) coming to celebrate my birthday and I want them severely dealt with. I came out of the wilds and they got my birthday wrong and two they got me in this cage. I demand justice.

[Bon mots]

Idiots. Birthday parties for chimps? How stupid can you get?

With cake no less.

I can hear the Daddy chimp now... "CAKE? YOU BROUGHT CAKE FOR HIM BUT NOT ME???? I ought to rip your %^&## off... and..."

[em2vn]

"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."
Was this sentence constructed in a remedial composition class?

[Bon mots]

Their great strength is why people who have them as pets generally get rid of them by the time the chimps are about 6 or so.

As has been said before, it's the males that are the problem, and usually only with male humans. They will rip your reproductive organs off, as they did with this numbnuts who brought a birthday cake to a dangerous wild beast.

For a clothed man to lose his testicles, the chimp had to know what he was doing. Then he proceeded to rip, bite or chew off body parts. Wonder if he liked the cake?

[bill1952]

Graduate school at Berkley.

[rabidralph]

Moe was not involved in Thursday's attack,

Obviously, a contract hit.

[cyborg]

ouch

[newzjunkey]

[evets]

Happy Birthday Moe

[jec41]

Is that Ted Kennedy?

[Ragnar54]

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.

According to SCOTUS, neither one was old enough to qualify for a death sentence.

[meandog]

A water hose against a chimp is as effective as a shotgun...pity they had to be shot due to the ignorance of human involvement with unsocialized animals! Incidentally, Cheetah, the chimp in all the Tarzan movies reportedly was devoted to Johnny Wisemuller and Ron Eli but couldn't stand the female co-stars.

[Deaf Smith]

The AP reported that his face was chewed off.

[Bogtrotter52]

GET YOUR HANDS OFF ME YOU DAMNED DIRTY APE!

[OrioleFan]

I thought this was another Michael Jackson story...

[PLMerite]

Anything that can kill you if it freaks out (or does what comes naturally to it) should not be considered for a pet.

[PLMerite]

Yes, I think this guy has removed himself from the gene pool the painful way.

[primatreat]

All people who think a grown chimp is cute, even a baby can tear the hell out of you. Most of the babies you see are doped up. One got loose in a Philly news room in the '80s trashed it faster than you can imagine. Putting aged chimps in camps is ok but to bring "cakes" to them when they are put around others that have returned to "primal" is a candidate for a Darwin award. A vet in my trade was moving one chimp to a transfer cage. He was attacked worse that this person. Chimps chew appendages of in the blink of an eye.

[norton]

First, the chimp they had raised was NOT part of the episode.
Second, we all treat our animal-cohort with too little thought of the real differences between us. (as in, your cat has not eaten you only because you are too big to chew)
Third, in defense of St James Davis, and if I have the same St James Davis in mind - pretty likely given the frequency of that name; he is an eccentric and wealthy person who has to my knowledge caused no harm and once campaigned the worlds slowest stock cars around So Cal tracks.

Pray for his recovery and mourn the fact that there are so few nonthreatening eccentric people in our midst that we must be satisfied with the bizarros who find their way into education, politics, and media.

[trad_anglican]

Whenever people anthropomorphize animals, they do animals (dogs, chimps, cats, whatever), a profound disservice and end up suffering the consequences.

That's right. Dogs are dogs and chimps are chimps. But kitties are people!

[doberville]

"Pray for his recovery and mourn the fact that there are so few nonthreatening eccentric people in our midst that we must be satisfied with the bizarros who find their way into education, politics, and media."

Hear. Hear.

Americans cannot do 'eccentric' as well as the Brits. It is an art, apparently. Somethings, we simply do not do as well.

[Blood of Tyrants]

I read a book many years ago about the US at war with the Chinese where the CIA taught a band of chimps to hate the Chinese by having Chinese POW's mistreat the chimps. The chimps were released behind enemylines and since the Chinese had a distinct B.O., the chimps would hunt down and brutally kill any Chinese they came across.

It could work for Middle Eastern terrorists, too.

[Ranxerox]

Never bring a cake to a chimp fight.

I know, I know, but somebody was gonna say it...

[freedomson]

[ValerieUSA]

A chewed off face and missing testicles because of associating with chimps --- you are right. This does sound a lot like Michael Jackson.

[null and void]

Kitty cat ping...

[monday]

"Whenever people anthropomorphize animals, they do animals (dogs, chimps, cats, whatever), a profound disservice and end up suffering the consequences."

I don't think baking their chimp a cake was the problem. It was being attacked by chimpanzees, which could have happened to anyone who happened to be in the wrong place at the wrong time.

I agree that baking a cake for a chimp is pretty stupid though. They were also stupid for making a chimp a pet in the first place although I see no problem with more traditional pets. Dogs, cats, and perhaps ferrets and Parrots.