STAMFORD, Conn. (WABC) -- A chimpanzee has been killed after attacking a friend of the owner.

According to police, the chimp got out of the house at 241 Rock Rimmon Road shortly after 3:30 p.m.

Witnesses told Eyewitness News that a friend of the homeowner had just gotten out of her car when the chimpanzee named Travis attacked her.

The homeowner, witnesses said, then came out of the house armed with a butcher's knife and began stabbing the chimp.

Police arrived on the scene. While they were sitting in their cruiser, the chimp tore off the side view mirror and tried to open the door. Police then shot and killed the animal.

The victim, a woman in her 50s, suffered life-threatening injuries with severe facial and extremity bites and lacerations, according to fire officials.
The owner was also taken to the hospital after she began having chest pains, police said. She may have suffered a heart attack.

The 170-pound chimpanzee was well known in the area where he has lived for years.

Travis escaped at least once before, bolting from a sports utility vehicle driven by his owners in 2003.

The animal held police at bay for a few hours before he was captured. No one was injured during that escape.

The owners were identified as Jay and Sandy Herold.

another animal killed because of a careless owner. stabbing the chimp??? and we say animals are barbaric. why do people think all animals are acceptable as pets? no one should be attacked but a wild animal is just that.

'Chimpanzee attacks woman, severely injuring her Conn

another animal killed because of a careless owner. stabbing the chimp??? and we say animals are barbaric. why do people think all animals are acceptable as pets? no one should be attacked but a wild animal is just that.

StarCat said:

There's a reason they're called "wild animals". Why the fuck were these idiots allowed to keep a chimpanzee as a pet anyway? A full-grown chimp can tear a human apart with its bear hands.

jone70 said:

uPtoWnNY said:

I don't understand why there would not be a law against a chimp being a pet.

That said, if a chimp not belonging to me ever runs out of a house and tries to eat me alive, please, do stab it, however cruel it may seem. Do not wait for animal control to show up with tranquilizer darts or some other humane alternative.

PANDURITO said:

Conn. = abbreviation for Connecticut, one of the United States.

StarCat said:

Thank you!

A chimp with bear hands.

uPtoWnNY said:

Genetic manipulation?

uPtoWnNY said:

Genetic manipulation?

no it wasn't killed to make a cartoon- someone did that being stupid- they said in the caption of the police standing over a dead chimp- "I guess we won't be gettin another stimulus package"- or something like that

I think there are laws against having Chimps for pets...wasn't this one grandfathered in or something? I can't remember where or if I heard that

uPtoWnNY said:

I don't understand why there would not be a law against a chimp being a pet.

That said, if a chimp not belonging to me ever runs out of a house and tries to eat me alive, please, do stab it, however cruel it may seem. Do not wait for animal control to show up with tranquilizer darts or some other humane alternative.
[Edited 2/16/09 17:55pm]

johnart said:

Exactly. At that point it's simply self defense. I would have stabbed it to death no matter how wrong it was to have it in captivity.

I would have stabbed it to death

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

SupaFunkyOrgangrinderSexy said:

The chimp ate the woman's eyes. And her nose. And ripped off her jaw. Hell, yeah, kill the damn chimp.

Efan said:

Wow. I hadn't heard those details. I did hear they transferred the victim to the same hospital that had recently completed the first face transplant (or whatever it's called) so I figured it had to be really bad. That is absolutely horrible.