Aunty …
The 200lb (90kg) ape, who had appeared on TV commercials, attacked the woman as she got out of her car to visit its owner in Stamford, Connecticut.
The woman suffered “serious blood loss” from facial injuries and was in a “very serious” condition in hospital.
The animal, Travis, also injured two police officers before being shot dead as it tried to enter a police vehicle.
Police said they had no idea why the chimp, who was 15, had attacked his owner’s friend, though police told the Associated Press (AP) he had been ill with Lyme disease and had been on medication.
“He’s been raised almost like a child by this family. He rides in a car every day, he opens doors, he’s a very unique animal in that aspect. We have no indication of what provoked this behaviour at all,”
Owner Sandra Herold had wrestled with Travis in an effort to stop the attack on her friend, then ran inside to make an emergency call.
“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,”
Paramedics then arrived to treat the woman, with police officers protecting them, but the chimp then started attacking them, AP reported. One officer was cornered in his vehicle and shot Travis in self-defence.
The animal returned to its owner’s house, where it was later found dead.
Travis had escaped from a car before in 2003, and had spent two hours at large in Stamford.
UPDATE : Aunty again …
The family of a US woman attacked by a chimpanzee has filed a $50m lawsuit against the animal’s owner.
Lawyers for Charla Nash, who is still in a critical condition after the attack, accused owner Sandra Herold of negligence and recklessness.
The lawsuit also claims that Ms Herold gave the animal medication that exacerbated its violent behaviour.
Ms Nash, 55, lost her hands, nose, lips and eyelids in the attack, which may have left her blind and brain damaged.
“Going forward, there’s going to be astronomical expenses associated with the procedures she’s going to require,”
The 12-minute attack took place after Ms Herold invited Ms Nash, a friend, to her house to help her entice the chimpanzee, known as Travis, back into the house.
Police shot and killed the animal when they arrived on the scene.
