Tuesday, March 08, 2005

Beware of Jealous Chimps. Seriously.

At the risk of turning this into "News of the Weird" day, via Harper's Weekly Review, this is one of the most horrifying things I have ever read.

(03-05) 00:37 PST HAVILAH, Calif. (AP) --

Investigators said Friday they are trying to figure out how two chimpanzees that viciously attacked a visitor at an animal sanctuary escaped from their cages.

The chimps chewed off St. James Davis' nose and severely mauled his genitals and limbs Thursday before the son-in-law of the sanctuary's owner shot the animals to death, authorities said.
According to this account and two others in Newsday and a New Zealand newspaper , Mr. Davis and his wife were throwing a birthday party for their adopted Chimpanzee, Moe, when apparently the other two apes became jealous (!) and attacked. From Newsday:

St. James Davis 62, 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.
Moe survived the incident unharmed.

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