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UPDATE ›  Travis Tragedy Sparks Primate Bill



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Update: U.S. House Passes Primate 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.

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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

spacer Wired To Be Wild�-�Primates Are Not Pets
Travis once worked in show biz, commercials mostly for Old Navy, Coca Cola, even a guest spot on the Maury Povich Show. But when Travis outgrew his cuteness, the 200 pound chimpanzee moved in to Sandra Herold�s Stamford, Connecticut home as her pet.

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.

Travis craved social bonds within a chimpanzee community. He was just wired to be a chimp.���-�By Brenda Shoss


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Dear Representative and Senators,

I am very happy the House of Representatives passed the Captive Primate Safety Act (H.R. 80) with a majority vote of 323-95. Perhaps the widely publicized chimp attack in Stamford, Connecticut influenced this swift decision to ban interstate and foreign traffic in primates as �pets.�

I now strongly urge my Senators to cosponsor and support similar legislation to debilitate the primate �pet� trade.

Headlines nationwide focused on Travis the chimpanzee's vicious attack on Charla Nash, a friend visiting Sandra Herold's Stamford, CT home on February 16, 2009. As Nash exited her car, Herold's "pet" chimp Travis, 15, tore the woman's face. Nash lost a lot of blood and may be permanently disfigured.

To save her friend's life, Herold stabbed Travis repeatedly and beat him with a shovel. Officers at the scene finished the 200-pound chimp off with a gun. Once shot, Travis retreated to the only place he knew � a human place with toys and blankets. Bewildered and bleeding, he awaited his next command. But no voice came and Travis died.

The most predictable thing about Travis was his unpredictability. Like all nonhuman primates, Travis was a creature of the jungle. Not a TV celebrity. Not someone's child. Travis was programmed to vie for leadership in his pack as he matured. He was wired to act aggressively in the wild.

An estimated 15,000 primates live in private settings in the U.S. State laws are sketchy � some ban all exotics; others permit primates. The thriving traffic in monkeys and apes poses a public health risk as well, since primates can transmit Herpes B virus, yellow fever, and monkeypox,

Baby primates can grow into belligerent, even hostile, �pets.� Some caretakers cage, drug and/or 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."

I thank the House for its quick action. I now ask my Senators to do everything possible to pass the Captive Primate Safety Act this year.

Thank you,

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