Travis the Chimp Commits Suicide by Cop; Attack Injures Woman

A 16-year-old chimpanzee suffering from Lyme Disease went berserk in Stamford, Connecticut, Monday (February 16) and severely injured a 55-year-old woman who had arrived to help placate the animal. Travis the Chimp would subsequently be shot dead after the attack by a police officer cornered in his patrol car.

The first sign that Travis would one day attempt suicide by cop was when he switched from being a Mets fan to being a Yankees fan.

Neighbors and Stamford Police Captain Richard Conklin told the New York Post that Travis had been acting a bit erratic of late. Still, no one is certain why the usually docile chimp went ape.

His 70-year-old owner, Sandra Herold, said she had put Xanax in his tea just before he took the keys to the kitchen door, let himself out, and began banging on car doors (an indication that he wanted to go for a ride). Noting his agitation, Herold called her friend, Charla Nash, to help her round up Travis. When Nash arrived, Travis attacked her, jumping on her and mauling her.

Travis weighed 200 pounds. Herold retrieved a butcher knife and stabbed her pet several times in an attempt to get him off her friend. The 70-year-old then wrestled Travis off of Nash and called 911.

When the police arrived, Travis went after one officer and cornered him in his patrol car. After ripping off a side mirror, Travis opened the car door and the officer shot him several times.

The officer is claiming self-defense.

Travis, mortally wounded, made his way back into the house, where he was later found, dead inside his cage.

Conklin believes that Travis probably attacked Nash because he didn't recognize her. Travis had always seen her with her hair down. She arrived with her hair up, a hair-style that infuriates many (ask Sarah Palin).

There are several articles about the chimp attack on the web that boldly proclaim "video," but there was no video taken of the incident. These videos are of the news stories surrounding the event and the press conference that was held after the chimp attack incident.

But this wasn't the first time Travis the Chimp had had a run-in with the Stamford police. In 2003, Travis had gotten away from Sandra Herold and tied up traffic in the small town by playing in the middle of the road and charging any officers that got near him. No one was hurt during that stand-off.

When he was younger, Travis had a budding acting career, appearing in a few commercials. He once appeared on "The Maury Povich Show." (It was later found out that he was NOT any of those girls' babies' daddy.)

Travis the Chimp was known to be a rather well-behaved animal. He liked filet mignon, watering flowers, and pretending to drive. Before Sandra Herold's husband died, Stamford residents were used to seeing the chimp waving from the back of the tow truck owned by the Herolds.

Although it remains a mystery why Travis went berserk, one might speculate that with the heightened irritability and physiological pain that can sometimes be symptomatic of Lyme Disease, the admission of A-Rod of using steroids may have been more than the chimp could take.

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On a serious note: AHN reported that Charla Nash was hospitalized and remains in critical condition because of the terrible mauling she suffered. Travis the Chimp's story should be a cautionary tale to anyone caring for exotic animals.

As stated previously, there is no chimp attack video.

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Sources:

NYPost.comallheadlinenews.com
CDC.gov