WIRED TO BE WILD - U.S. HOUSE PASSES PRIMATE PET BILL IN SHADOW OF TRAVIS TRAGEDY
2/24/09, CHIMPS BELONG IN THE WILD, NOT CAGED IN BACKYARDS - Kinship Circle issued an alert, Wired To Be Wild asking Reps to cosponsor H.R. 80 and Senators to introduce companion legislation. We also blogged about Travis, the chimp shot dead on 2/16/09 after attacking his guardian’s friend in Stamford, CT. In the shadow of this tragedy, the U.S. House of Representative has approved the Captive Primate Safety Act, H.R. 80, with a majority vote of 323-95!

An estimated 15,000 primates live in private settings in the U.S. State laws are sketchy. Some ban all exotics, while others permit primates. Baby primates can grow into belligerent, even hostile pets. Some caretakers cage, drug and defang them. Others dump primates at roadside zoos or sell them to breeders. Since accredited zoos refuse them and most respectable sanctuaries are full, few options exist for discarded primates. Perhaps Travis’ light in heaven illuminates the dire need for a ban on the import-export and interstate traffic in primates as pets.

Something snapped in Travis. The 200 pound chimpanzee, groomed for a life in show biz, attacked Charla Nash's face as she exited her car to visit the chimp's owner Sandra Herold. Travis looked confused when bashed with a shovel, stabbed, and finally shot dead. AP Photos, Travis in 2003 above and as baby below. www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,495787,00.html

On February 16, 2009, a visitor rubbed Travis the wrong way. Who is to say why Travis felt threatened? As Charla Nash, 55, exited her car, the 15-year old chimp tore open her face, spilling blood. Herold dashed inside to phone 911. She returned with a butcher knife and stabbed her pet repeatedly. Herold, 70, beat the animal with a shovel too. She thought, "I must save my friend. I am killing Travis."

But Travis managed to stagger away. Soon, officers showed up and secured an area for medics to stabilize the gravely wounded Nash. Travis was confused. Though mutilated, he followed officers to their cars. Travis, trained to open doors, easily entered a cruiser and cornered a surprised policeman. Shots were fired into Travis. The chimp fled.

Stamford Lt. Richard Conklin says officers tracked blood splatters down a driveway, past a door, through rooms and finally to Travis’ living area.

Travis retreated to the only place he knew. A human place with toys and blankets. The bewildered chimp awaited his next command. But no voice came and Travis died.

TRAVIS GREW UP LIKE A HUMAN CHILD
He enjoyed truck rides and could open nearly any door. Travis was even potty-trained. He dressed himself, dined at the family table and sipped wine. What went wrong the day he attacked Charla Nash?

CNN was stumped. The press scratched its head. Experts vied for explanations. Here is a thought: The most predictable thing about Travis was his unpredictability.

Even if he could log on to a computer to view photos of himself (he could) Travis was a creature of the jungle. Not a TV celebrity. Not the child or domesticated pet of a human. Travis was programmed to subdue female chimps and progress toward the head of his pack in the wild.

Cuddly evolves to belligerent, even hostile as primates mature. Sometimes caretakers confine unruly animals in dingy cages or drug and defang them. Others dump primates at roadside zoos or sell them to breeders. Since accredited zoos refuse them and most respectable sanctuaries are full, few options exist for these former pets.

Still, an estimated 15,000 primates live in private settings in the U.S. State laws are sketchy. Some ban all exotics. Others permit primates. A thriving traffic in monkeys and apes poses a public health risk, since primates can transmit diseases such as Herpes B virus, yellow fever, and monkeypox.