Call Of The Wild

[cabinetman]

Saw a story this morning about Travis the chimp mauling a woman.

How hard is it to understand that some "pets" maintain a wild instinct, even when they have been kept as pets. Some trigger could unleash the most vicious unpredictable attacks. I remember seeing the bear on TV that attacked a woman reporter, and a pet python that bit its owner in the face, or Roy Horn being bitten by Montecore the tiger. Is it just a matter of how long their luck runs?

How relaxed do we want to get with those pets that are basically wild animals?
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[germdoc]

I have 2 ideas about it. One is that it's a case of the slave attacking his "owner". The chimp knows he's in the wrong environment and suddenly lets go in a fit of rage.

The second is that the chimp was watching a lot of TV, with footage of Rwanda, the Congo, the Taliban, etc., and started acting too much like a human.

[TB Roye]

Chimps are not domesticated animals. I remember numerous report of Chimps going off for no apparent reason. A number of years ago a supposedly tame Chimp here at the local zoo go out and went off when they tried to catch him. He did a lot of damage to the golf course club house before being shot.

Tom

[JimD]

The article in the local paper said they had given the chimp a human drug that sometimes causes aggitation before he did this.

We have a cat. She begged me to pick her up this morning and then decided to claw me to get back down. No major injury but she drew blood. She is so small she cannot do anything major but I think this sort of attitude from cats is fairly typical - they want what they want and do not care much what you want.

Dogs are typically better but some of them are not so totally safe either. I would only want a big dog, at least, with a good attitude. A big dog, cat or other animal that shows any sign of a bad attitude needs to die. Maybe not very nice but that's the way I look at it.

Jim

[germdoc]

Just a couple more unsnarky remarks: I had a Blue Heeler I had raised from a puppy. He was generally a sweet-natured, obedient dog who was very protective of family. At age 3 he exhibited some aggressive actions that seemed to indicate his need to establish dominance over some of my kids. The last straw came when my 5-y.o. daughter climbed on his back, and he threw her to the ground and lunged at her throat in a threatening manner. I had him put down. Hated to do it, but there was no other choice.

The closer animals are to their primitive nature, the more certain natural tendencies toward dominance and aggression will come out, often in unanticipated circumstances.

This chimp may have been affected by the human drug Xanax in an idiosyncratic way. I don't believe this was related to "Lyme disease", certainly not based on my experience with human LD patients. JMO.

[cabinetman]

A big dog, cat or other animal that shows any sign of a bad attitude needs to die. Maybe not very nice but that's the way I look at it.

Jim

Our society has set forth that premise to certain deserving humans. Infant and adolescent training or lack of it may be the indicator of that type of behavior.
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[Uncle Cracker]

Chimps are very dangerous and incredibly strong, and they have a formidable set of teeth. They are moody and unpredictable, and act without morality or restraint. Anybody who is around one, even the most "tame" examples, is very likely to end up regretting it. A large male can go through a room full of adult men without breaking a sweat. People have literally been torn to pieces by angry chimps.

[shoottx]

Chimps are very dangerous and incredibly strong, and they have a formidable set of teeth. They are moody and unpredictable, and act without morality or restraint. Anybody who is around one, even the most "tame" examples, is very likely to end up regretting it. A large male can go through a room full of adult men without breaking a sweat. People have literally been torn to pieces by angry chimps.

Sounds like some cabinetmakers I know!

[cabinetman]

Sounds like some cabinetmakers I know!

Yeah...watch out...I've been on the edge for a long time.
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[shoottx]

Yeah...watch out...I've been on the edge for a long time.
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I did not, I repeat, I did not make any attribution!

[crokett]

The little I've heard of the story they gave the chimp a human drug shortly before the animal went beserk. That being said, I am surprised this didn't happen sooner since they had the chimp for 15 years. Acting without morality or restraint is not unique to animals. Ted Bundy and his ilk have shown us that.

[Uncle Cracker]

Ted Bundy and his ilk have shown us that.

Even Ted Bundy tried to hide behind a charming facade. Chimps could care less. They are straight-up in your face... Until they rip it off, that is.

[Mr__Bill]

Have to give the woman who owned him credit for not pleading the chimps case but said instead, kill it!