Travis The Chimp Attack

February 18th, 2009 by Castina

Travis The Chimp, who starred in TV commercials for Old Navy and Coca-Cola, died on Monday. The nearly 200-pound chimpanzee was shot by Hartford, Conn. police after a violent attack on his owner’s friend.

According to the Associated Press, Sandra Herold, who owned the 15-year-old chimp, wrestled with the animal after he pounced on her friend Charla Nash, 55, in a unprovoked mauling that started after Charla tried to coax the pet back in her house.

“She retrieved a large butcher knife and stabbed her longtime pet numerous times in an effort to save her friend, who was really being brutally attacked,” said Stamford police Capt. Richard Conklin. The chimp, who was suffering from Lyme disease, went after some of the officers. One of them shot Travis, who later died of his wounds.

On Wednesday, officials released the frantic 911 tapes from the Connecticut chimp attack. Sharon is heard pleading for police to shoot her pet chimp while he attacked her close friend.

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11 Responses to “Travis The Chimp Attack”

On February 18th 2009, Karen wrote:

I am so upset and angry about this I can hardly talk about it! I hope that woman goes to jail!
On February 18th 2009, DorthyGail wrote:

I had no idea chimps could weigh 200 lbs.
On February 18th 2009, jake wrote:

that is so sad and that lady should not be sent to jail. you stupid asshole.
On February 19th 2009, Karen wrote:

Jake, the fact that you would call a woman you don’t even know a stupid asshole tells me all I need to know about what kind of person you are.
On February 19th 2009, sand wrote:

The animal should not have been living in a home as though he was human in the first place if he was watering the yard and going for walks, drinking wine, something should have been done long ago, the owner of the chimp should feel awful bad to have called her best friend knowing the animal was behaving badly she should have called the cops or animal control or a vet immediately, and I don’t buy that he didn’t reconize the lady attacked because of a haircut because it would be saying he may have attacked anyone he didn’t know making him vicious right?
On February 20th 2009, no body wrote:

i no it was scary for her and her friend to go through this. if travis was my son and i had to do what i had to do i will do it. but it is said but i will say this i am sorry about her losses. xoxo from me to you.
On February 20th 2009, Creighton Thompson wrote:

When I first saw the headline “Chimp tees off on woman in driveway.” At first glance I though, Dammit! Some careless zoo keeper left the cage door open and started this senseless mayhem.

I was wrong. Sandra Herold started it. She started it about 12 years ago by trying to domesticate a wild chimp whom she named Travis. Question: Has Sandra ever heard the phrase “go ape?” Well, Sandy, as you now know to “go ape” is not a good thing at all.

Travis, a two hundred pound chimp with the upper body strength of ten men, went ape and began shredding a family friend’s face in the driveway; ignoring his owner’s commands to stop. Apparently “DOWN boy! DOWN boy! Sit, Shake, Stay!” does not work on wild animals acting wildly. Only a cop’s bullet was able to stop the monkey’s may lei.

This tragedy was bound to happen…a supposedly domesticated wild animal one day going wild again. Just ask Roy Horn formerly of Siegfried and Roy. He almost became a chewy snack for a 320lb. White tiger.
On February 21st 2009, Phillip Urbutt wrote:

The real tragedy in this story is that Travis and Sandra were slated to begin marriage counseling next Tuesday.

A neighbor, Woody Fokker, told Fox 8 News, “Travis had been despondent lately, and had taken to drinking a lot of Mike’s Hard Lemonade. There were bottles all over the yard.”

He was known to be jealous of women, fueling rumors that he feared losing Sandra to a lesbian relationship.

Fokker added, “It’s so sad to watch good love go bad.”
On February 23rd 2009, elle wrote:

I think its really sad what happened to Sandra because it must be hard to see that two of her closest buddies go against each other. Still, Sandra made the mistake of treating a wild animal like a domesticated person. Animals are always unpredictable. I hope a lot of people learn from this foolish mistake and prevent another tragedy.
On November 11th 2009, Angela wrote:

I would hate to be a judge inthis case. When a triple tradgety strikes, no punishment could be worse than the tradgety itself. However, Travis should have been under the care of a Vet. A human with medical problems on potent narcotics would legally have to remain under the careful vigilance of a phsycian. Sandra may have had some problems herself from well, just looking at her and the fact that she let a Chimp on anitidepressants loose.
On November 12th 2009, kmh wrote:

I think that everyone got way too comfortable around the animal. Even trusted family animals need to have methods of control in place. Dogs on leashes, horses with head collars on. When you deal with animals you have to have lots of respect and a little fear all the time. The chimp should have been in his cage all the time unless turned out in an area that was safe for him and the humans he lived with.