Posted on 03/06/2005 1:50:47 AM PST by ambrose
Woman attacked by chimp speaks of the attack
updated 03/05/05
BAKERSFIELD - A West Covina man critically attacked by a chimpanzee on earlier in the week continues to struggle for his life at Loma Linda University Medical Center.
The attacked happened on Thursday morning at the Animal Haven Ranch near Havilah.
On Saturday, his wife LaDonna Davis, who was also attacked, spoke to NBC’s Today Show about the trauma that changed her and her husband's lives forever.
Davis and her husband St. James Davis were having a birthday party for their longtime pet chimpanzee Moe. When they were suddenly attacked by two other Chimpanzee's who had escaped from their cages.
“I don't know what triggered this, I don't know whether it was the birthday cake, I don't know whether we were having our own little party,” Davis told Campbell Brown host of the Today Show. “And it was not what they wanted. I think it was just a fluke accident.”
Davis said she remembers turning to cut another piece of cake for her husband when she was attacked.
“The next thing I can remember is being knocked down and when I reached to help my husband,” she said. “Because I don't think he was really fully aware of what was happening, somebody took my thumb off.”
Davis husband remains in critical condition after losing a foot, his testicles, and part of his face in the attack. LaDonna appeared on the show to talk about her experience along with her attorney Gloria Allred.
“We're not here to place blame, because our hearts go out to LaDonna and St. James, they've spent their whole life just loving their chimp,” Allred said. “He's been like their child, in fact he is in a sense their only child.”
The Kern County Sheriff's Department and the Department of Fish and Game continue to investigate the chimps' escape. The two chimps involved in the attack were both shot during the incident.
Wow, her hubby is in critical condition, missing a nose, foot and testicles... and wifey has already lawyered up.
What the hell? They ripped off his testicles? Why in the world did they do that?
They went ape.
Pathetic
its a game chimps play....its called "Castrate the Idiot"
Sane reason I rip people testicles off.
Because I can.
I posted "Primate Party Gone Horribly Awry" last night along with an article about this couple from CNN in 2000. She was their attorney back then too when their own chimp, Moe, was acting up and attacking people:
Primate Party Gone Horribly Awry
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1356527/posts
I feel sorry that this guy was attacked in such a vicious way, but they didn't seem to concerned back in 2000 when Moe was the one doing the attacking:
Story from CNN--January 8, 2000 about Moe:
http://archives.cnn.com/2000/US/01/08/jailed.chimp/
Moe the chimp's legal woes divide California town chimp
Moe the chimp is behind bars at a wildlife sanctuary and his family is charged with keeping him illegally
January 8, 2000
Web posted at: 11:53 p.m. EST (0453 GMT)
From staff and wire reports
WEST COVINA, California (CNN) -- In a state that has earned a reputation for high-profile trials, the court case near Los Angeles of Moe the chimp has managed to cause considerable commotion.
The proceeding has polarized supporters and defenders of a West Covina couple battling to retain custody of the chimp, accused of biting the tip of a woman's finger off after mistaking it for candy.
La Donna and St. James Davis, accused of illegally keeping the chimp in their California home, went to court Friday for an arraignment hearing, but did not enter the building.
Instead the couple, who kept Moe in their home for more than 30 years, stayed outside with a group of supporters.
Their attorney Gloria Allred said she did not bring the Davises into court because prosecutors did not have a signed arrest warrant.
Inside, Allred addressed a complaint containing almost 40 misdemeanor charges against her clients -- including numerous counts of maintaining a wild animal without a permit.
The judge in the case dismissed the prosecution's first filing as too vague.
"Now they come back with 39 counts. So this appears to be punitive. This appears to be retaliatory," Allred said.
The judge directed prosecutors to file an affidavit for a warrant for the couple's arrest. The next hearing is set for February 22.
The Davises brought Moe home with them from East Africa more than 30 years ago after his mother was killed by poachers.
For 30 years, officials approved a permit for the couple to keep Moe, who learned to perform tasks like brushing his teeth and using utensils.
But the last permit expired two years ago and the chimp's legal troubles began. The chimp escaped while crewmen worked on his cage, the Davises said. Moe's conduct then landed them in court.
A police officer and animal control officer were maimed and a woman had a third of her finger bitten off, according to prosecutor Michael Capizzi.
"This is a wild animal. It's a dangerous animal, and it's a threat to the safety of the people of West Covina," he said.
As for the woman's' bitten finger, the Davises contend the chimp they consider a son mistook her false red nails for candy.
Moe's legal woes have spurred his neighbors to action. Since Moe was removed from the Davis home in September, they have launched a petition drive.
But Martine Collette, president and founder of the Wildlife Waystation, where Moe now resides, said the animal is wild and should not be returned.
"There isn't an individual who will not tell you, a professional in the field of chimps, that is going to tell you that chimps are safe to be around at that age; they're not. They're very dangerous."
if I was a stuck inside a cage all my life, I'd probably tear off the testicles of someone I perceived to be responsible for my captivity...
Chimps belong in the jungle, not as some idiot's playtoy.
Hey, give Gloria Aldred a little credit, here.
Usually, SHE'S the one ripping the guy's testicles off.
(I got out of bed again to write that joke. I hope you appreciate my sacrifice and diligance.)
Chimpanzees and Baboons are the only other primates other than humans who will kill and eat meat.
They can also go insane when kept in captivity in confined quarters.
I would trust a 250 lb silver back Gorilla before I would trust a 130 lb Chimpanzee.
These two were crazy to think they could keep Chimps as pets.
It's the first thing male chimps often do when they attack another male primate. They are extremely aggressive against male humans. The wife only got bit because she tried to interfere.
Adult male chimps are very dangerous for adult male humans.
These two remind me of the bear 'expert' that got eaten by bears. Bringing a birthday cake to a chimp... really.
In the Planet of the Apes, Chimps are portrayed as gentle pacifists, and the gorillas as brutal warriors... total opposite from reality.
Next year, I think they should just send a card.
It seems that those chimps could have killed him if they wanteed... instead, they seemed to deliberately maim him in everyway possible...
We are so grateful to you and others who have expressed such sympathetic regard to these victims. Your kindness will not go un-noticed.
Maybe they didn't have time to finish the job.
I wish they got your nuts too.
Another reason to be thankful I'm a woman.
Man talk about a bad birthday party. Although many questions come to mind.
A West Covina man critically attacked by a chimpanzee
I guess they don't have any editors there?
"Critically attacked." Is that when the chimps go afer Op/Ed newspeople?
Sadly, the two attacking chimps were shot, so we'll never hear their side of the story.
But did Moe have a good time? That's the important question. He was the birthday boy after all.
"I'm an expert because I say I am."
Maybe John Edwards can channel that bear "expert" and tell us what that death was like.
Chimps don't wanna be civilized.
Allred is such a publicity whore. The only reason a high-profile lawyer would represent these freaks of nature is for the opportunity to be on TV again.
Well I wonder if it thought his balls were candy :) (/excue me )
It means they want millions
Yep... I bet you have much experieeeeeeeeeeee....oooowwwwwweeeeee
You got that right.
Personally I never trusted Cornelius and Zira. I always thought they had an agenda.
"We're only interested in science."
Sure you are.
so... they have a history with the apes
"Another reason to be thankful I'm a woman."
Not in grizzly country.
I think what disturbs ya' about Chimps is the knowledge that they are the closest to humans of any animal...
Awoken by Pure Genius...thanks for the Allred image, LOL!
OUCH !!! LOL
Moe's daddy is in some series pain.
http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/nation/11063785.htm
Posted on Sun, Mar. 06, 2005
Jealousy possible motive for chimp attack
Mauling could have occurred because two chimps were envious of attention given to a third
By DAVID PIERSON and MITCHELL LANDSBERG
Los Angeles Times
HAVILAH, Calif. — St. James and LaDonna Davis raised Moe the chimp as their son. That was the word they used to describe him, and that was how they treated him — like a hairy, rambunctious child who was a pampered member of the family.
They taught him to wear clothes, to take showers, to use the toilet and to watch TV in their West Covina, Calif., home.
On Thursday, the day they marked as Moe’s 39th birthday, their love for the chimp nearly cost them their lives.
The Davises were visiting Moe at an animal sanctuary in the hills of eastern Kern County — a place to which he had been banished after biting a woman — when they were attacked by two other chimps and brutally mauled.
St. James Davis took the brunt of the attack, the ferocity of which left paramedics stunned.
“I had no idea a chimpanzee was capable of doing that to a human,” said Kern County Fire Capt. Curt Merrell, who was among the first on the scene.
Davis, who remained in critical condition Friday, was badly disfigured. According to his wife, he lost all the fingers from both hands, an eye, part of his nose, cheek and lips, and part of his buttocks. His foot was mutilated, and his heel bone was cracked.
“They don’t think he’s ever going to be the same,” LaDonna Davis said, her voice strong but her hands shaking.
-snip-
Well in a way yes, although I never bit someone's nuts off because I didn't get a piece of birthday cake.
True I might have been disappointed but........
Here's an example.
"It means they want millions"
Make that tens of millions. OTOH, 39 counts means somebody is hoping SOMETHING sticks, after all the real pain, suffering and medical and attorney costs--all because of this exotic pet-as-child idiocy.
Of course they'll sue for everything the sanctuary has.
BTW- what exactly happened... how did they get out of the cage?? or were they stupid enough to enter it?
oh that is real pain and damage alright.
True. Chimpanzees and baboons can be exceedingly dangerous. Their is an oldish (early 80s i thing) movie called 'The Slopes of Mt Kilimanjaro' that is about a drought that hit East Africa, causing baboons to turn their attention to humans (like many primates baboons are omnivorous, and can even turn to a wholly protein diet under certain conditions). When i was in Kenya i once went to this animal park where baboons would come and ask for food. They were really cute, the females would carry the babies on their backs, sit on their haunches and ask for food with their hands. Very polite. However the males always kept a good distance away. While the females are 'cute' and doglike, the males are large, and when they yawn they reveal fangs that are longer than that of any lion or leopard. The males have been known to rend leopards apart (leopards prey on a lot of baboons, that is female and infant baboons. They know better than to face a male. The leopard would win since they are just death incarnate, but it would get seriously injured, and getting injured in the bush means death).
Chimps on the other hand are the second most underestimated animal in the African bush (the first being the Hippo). Most people think Chimp and 'Bubbles' comes to their mind. The truth is that a chimpanzee, even though it is much smaller than an adult human, is SEVERAL TIMES stronger!
An adult male chimpanzee weighs around a 160 pounds, yet has 6-7 times the strength of the average human male!
Their strength levels are obscene, yet their form does not suggest it (although if you look at adult males closely you notice something 'wrong' in their posture). In the late 1800s and early 1900s there used to be boxing matches that used to pit man against chimp, and the chimps were unbeatable. I do not know how the man's foot was removed from his leg, it might have been very well bitten off. But i would bet that it was most likely literally ripped off his leg - with the chimp using its hands! With their strength levels they could do that, and do it easily.
As for the testicle bit that is simple. Many primates, male and female, attack by going after genitalia. It is a simple and efficient way to knock out an opponent, and at the same time (especially for male vs male aggression) it ensures that that particular opponent will not procreate (which is a good thing since the biggest trigger for a fight was probably rights to fertile females). The guy who lost one testicle, a foot and half a face should actually consider himself lucky! He could have lost both testicles, his you-know-what, all his limbs, and all of his face (a face bite probably means he was looking the chimp in the face as it attacked. The chimp took this as continued aggression).
Chimps are actually some of the most high-strung creatures in the wild. They are usually docile, but every now and then they go loco. For example it has been recorded that groups of chimps attack other neighboring groups, using sticks stones and bare hands, and try to exterminate the other group. They even at times eat the young of the other group. They are the only other species, apart from man (and obviously invertebrate species like ants and termites), that actually wage full-scale war. And they are the only other species apart from man that wage war using tools.
But people look at chimps and thing they are cuddly babies that make their way to the Jay Leno show, swathed in human baby clothes and sucking a milk bottle. The truth is once they grow up they become extremely intelligent animals that love their independence, and have the strength to ensure they keep it. They can be quite loving, but with intelligent animals come personalities. And with personalities come behavioral issues. And with that comes the danger than the nromally placcid chimp will get annoyed/stressed/jealous/irate/bored/malicious/offended and just come at you. And with something having 6-7 times your strength you would be in a world of hurt.
Although i am sure this attack will do nothing to deter people who think that exotic animals make good pets. I know a person who wanted to import hyenas and use them as guard dogs. Well, hyenas can be loving. But they also have jaws that are the strongest on land, and are really good hunters and quite profecient at killing lions that are separated from the pride (oh, hyenas are another animal that is also underestimated. People think all they do is scavenge, when they actually extremely efficient night hunters and only scavenge during the day. And percentage wise they hunt far more than scavenge). But dude wanted a couple of hyena puppies (i don't know how he was going to go around the licenses, but i guess he must have worked that out).
Note to self: if you bring cake, make sure you have enough for all of the chimps.
Crazy.
You know it's bad when the paramedic's are in shock.
their is = there is.
39 counts is from the 2000 article. That was when the couple's own chimp, Moe, was doing the attacking.
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