This Story Is Too Strange

Now who would want to kill a harmless little chimp?

Now that was my first question as I began to read this rather weird story of a chimp gone wild. Turns out our simian friends can be very smart, and very dangerous.

This article with my added commentary taken from CNN

(CNN) -- A woman has been hospitalized with serious injuries to her face, neck and hands after a pet chimpanzee attacked her at a friend's home in Stamford, Connecticut.

Travis is shown in 2003, when he escaped and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford, Connecticut.

My first question is - I thought owning chimps was illegal?

Charla Nash, 55, had just arrived at her friend Sandra Herold's house when the chimp, named Travis, jumped on her and began biting and mauling her, according to Stamford Police Capt. Rich Conklin, who said the attack was unprovoked.

Herold had called Nash over to her house to help get Travis back inside after he used a key to free himself from the house.

Now we have to worry about Chimps learning to use keys?

After the attack, Herold was unable to pull the primate off her friend. She then called 911 before grabbing a butcher knife and stabbing the chimp, who police said was like a child to her.

Stamford police shot the chimp multiple times when he ripped off a side mirror and tried to enter a police cruiser, Conklin said. Travis returned to the house and died inside.

At first I thought why shoot him just because he was trying to get into a police car - then I realized - it was the keys - what if he also had learned how to start the police car, and to drive?

Conklin estimated Travis to be in his 20s, weighing close to 200 pounds.

This was not a little chimp at all.

The police captain also said this isn't the first interaction his officers have had with Travis -- the chimp escaped in 2003 and "wreaked havoc" on the streets of Stamford for a couple of hours.

In 2005, a different chimp escaped from California's Animal Haven Ranch and chewed off a man's nose and genitals.

O.K. I guess it's o.k. to shoot chimps if they are going to chew off your nose, testicles, and penis!

During an interview after that attack, wildlife expert Jeff Corwin told CNN's Anderson Cooper that chimpanzees are "absolutely powerful."

"It's often said that an adult chimpanzee weighing in at 150 pounds is three to seven times stronger than a human being," Corwin said.

But this old lady was allowed to have this super powerful creature as a child?

"The thing about chimpanzees is, we sort of look at them through our rose-colored cultural glasses of the cute little chimp in the 'Tarzan' movie. Those are very young chimps. Chimps grow up, they become very powerful. They are very complex in their behavior. They have a whole range of emotions, including violence and anger."