Shawn's fingerpainting skills were featured in a 2006 St. She was trained to do all of the maintenance and handling of the animals, he said. "To be honest, I think they're probably prepping her for surgery."ĭe Lacure said Maturen had volunteered for the chimp farm for more than five years. "I haven't had a chance to talk to the victim," he said. But they did neither, he said.įriday afternoon, De Lacure said he was just starting the investigation. The caregivers were supposed to move the chimps to another cage farther away and to make sure the door to the adjacent cage was securely locked, he said. It appears Maturen and another volunteer didn't follow proper sanctuary protocol, he said. Sanctuary officials said little about the attack Friday.ĭebbie Cobb, the sanctuary's outreach coordinator, said the incident happened because of "human error." The sanctuary's board is also investigating what happened.Ĭobb wasn't there, but others at the sanctuary told her that Maturen was able to walk off of the property and that her face appeared to be okay, she said.ĭe Lacure said at this point in the investigation, there don't seem to be any criminal issues. Shawn is in heat, and changes in hormones may have affected her behavior, he added. "When you have animals in captivity and you have humans involved, there's always a likelihood of injury," De Lacure said. They rarely attack people, but there have been cases of violent attacks on humans. Steve De Lacure of the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, who is investigating the incident.Ĭhimpanzees may seem docile and cute, but they can be aggressive, especially in the wild, according to primate experts. "The potential could have been a lot worse," said Lt. Maturen was taken to Helen Ellis Memorial Hospital in Tarpon Springs for treatment of serious but non-life-threatening injuries. Handlers got the chimps back in their cage, asked everyone to leave and put the sanctuary on lockdown. Maturen finally had to lock herself in a bathroom to escape Shawn's wrath. Maturen fought to break free, and tried to run inside, but Shawn followed her. “My thoughts were always ‘How is she allowed this animal in her house? What if he gets loose someday and somebody gets hurt?’ “I know the animals are cute - but they're just not pets.”Īfter the attack, her family sought permission to sue Connecticut for £100 million for failing to seize the animal before the attack.īut her action was denied after authorities said state law did not prohibit the private ownership of chimpanzees at the time of the attack.They both ended up outside the primate sanctuary. “I remember looking at him in his cage and feeling sorry for him,” added Charla. Sandra died of an aneurysm four years ago. Talking about Travis the chimp, who was shot dead by police, she said she never felt at ease around the monkey after it was locked up in Sandra Herold’s Connecticut home. That was my favourite, salads.”Ĭharla said she hoped one day she will be able to move back home after finding staff and residents now keep their distance out of fear. I'm starting to get back into eating salads again. I can chew chicken, it's a little softer. “They just made some bottom teeth for me recently,” she said. She puts herself through gruelling physical therapy on her face as she works to strengthen her jaw. She explained how she now spends her days listening to audio books alone and going for walks in the grounds of her nursing home in Massachusetts. I don't know what my future is, that's the scary part.” “Sometimes you want to cry, you want out, you want some kind of home. Not even live - half-live,” Charla added. Recently she was fitted with teeth that allow her to chew tougher foods, such as chicken. Two years after the assault Charla underwent reconstructive surgery and was given a new face.ĭoctors at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston also fitted the single mum with a glass eye but were unsuccessful in attempts to transplant a hand. The monkey called, Travis, seriously disfigured her and she sustained extensive damage to her eyes, nose, lips and hands. The 60-year-old was left fighting for her life in February 2009 after a friend’s pet chimp launched a brutal attack on her. I could change my own truck tyre, and now I can’t even feed myself.” “Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot I can do,” she said. A woman who had her face and hands ripped off by a chimpanzee, has told of her battle to cope five years on.Ĭharla Nash spoke about the isolation she feels but added she was determined to get better regardless.Īnd now, three years after her face transplant, Charla is even practising expressions so she can learn to smile again.īut she revealed that other residents at the American care home where she lives no longer go near her because of her appalling injuries.
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