Large chimpanzee shot and killed by police in US after it attacks woman, officers

Tuesday, February 17, 2009

A 200-pound pet chimpanzee has been shot and killed by police in Stamford, Connecticut in the United States after it got loose from its cage and attacked a woman.

The chimp has been identified as ‘Travis’ and his owner as Sandra Herold. Travis was said to have gotten out of control, escaped from his cage and attacked a friend of Herold’s on Monday around 4:00 p.m. EST (UTC-5). When police arrived on scene they shot Travis four times, killing him, but not before Travis injured two police officers.

The unidentified 55-year-old woman is reported to be a friend of Herold who was visiting her when Travis escaped. She is said to have suffered life-threatening injuries and was taken to nearby Stamford Hospital with multiple bite wounds and cuts. She is listed in critical condition.

This is not Travis’ first encounter with the police. In 2003, a police officer sedated him with tranquilizer darts after he said Travis escaped from Herold’s SUV. However, The Advocate reports that in that incident, Travis was locked out of the SUV and walked to the other side to try another door when an officer shot him.

Travis’ owners, Sandra and her husband Jay, have lived in their home on Rimmon Road in Stamford for several years. WABC-TV in New York City reports that the Herolds’ were well known in the neighborhood. For years, Travis would even ride around with Jay in his tow truck and the cars he towed.