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Erin Conway-Smith/AP, file
Chimpanzees sit in an enclosure at the Chimp Eden rehabilitation center, near Nelspruit, South Africa in this Feb 2011 photo.
An American studying chimpanzee behavior in South Africa was “fighting for his life” after he was attacked by two of the animals, according to a report.
The chimpanzees dragged the man for more than a mile, under a fence and into their enclosure at Jane Goodall Institute Chimp Eden near Nelspruit, The Telegraph newspaper reported.
The paper said the victim of the attack had not been named. However, it said it understood he was a “young university student from the United States who had been observing the animals at the reserve for several weeks.”
Jeffrey Wicks, a spokesman for private ambulance firm Netcare911, told the Telegraph that witnesses said the man was leading a group of tourists when the attack happened.
"A ranger at a chimpanzee sanctuary near Nelspruit is fighting for his life after he was attacked by two frenzied animals while leading a tour group at the park this afternoon," he added. "According to eyewitnesses, two chimpanzees grabbed the man by his feet and pulled him under the perimeter fence and into the enclosure."
Armed escorts for paramedics
Paramedics needed armed escorts as they went in to treat the victim, NBC’s Rohit Kachroo reported. It was unclear whether this caused any delay.
The victim was stabilized at the scene and taken by ambulance to a private hospital in Nelspruit, NBC said. There have been no similar attacks at the reserve, which opened more than six years ago.
David Oosthuizen, Jane Goodall Institute executive director, confirmed the reserve was on lock down following the incident, The Telegraph said.
NBC's Meredith Vieira sits down with Charla Nash, who recently underwent a face transplant that's helped her regain the life she had before being brutally attacked by a chimp.
"We understand that the gentleman is stable and we really feel for him," he told the paper. "This has been very upsetting for everyone – it is just horrific. We are an organization that's respected worldwide for the work we do so anything like this is very bad."
Victim of chimpanzee attack shares progress, optimism
He added that some of the animals kept there had been abused before they were rescued and taken to the institute.
"These chimpanzees have six times the strength of a human being so you have to respect them and we certainly do," he said.
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Leave a Comment:
From today's followup article, "Oberle, took the extreme step of firing into the air, scaring the animals away."
Extreme?? These animals were in the process of killing a human and "scaring" them was extreme??
Read more: #ixzz1zHSfKzLI
They need to be relocated to Rwanda, Detroit or Washington DC where they will be much more compatible.
...or maybe Madonna or Jolie could adopt them.
..'dragged him here'..overheard one of the waiting monkey said. "here take this rock and used to smashed his h..", the other one eagerly uttered. "'no, we mustn't!'".., squeeled shouted the elderly and looked-to-be wised one fastenning his way in. ''''paid back time..we finally got a human!..''''excitedly loudly said another.."I don't get it wised one..humans treat us like animals..,we were like blood like cousins close as can be..,,and no..no we mustn't??.." "'we monkeys have an old saying..when u want the monkey off ur back just ask..but it's bananas ure after best u put the monkey back,..or insanely bizarre goes monkeys knack attack.."' """i don't get it wised one""".."'One day when time is rite,..will i let monkeys know.."'.."'hurry..the humans are coming!..act like monkeys..!!"'..overheard wised one mummble hestingly..
Oh the lengths that recruiters for the NBA will go to find talent.
not sure if this is a racist comment or not...but it did make me laugh :-)
Some of you are despicable on here.A person was horribly mauled and you joke about it.. We have had enough research done on this subject and need to let wild animals alone..Why do people want to domesticate these animals?? We have them in zoos,etc.to admire and love..let enough be enough!!
I guess this guy has a lot of chimpanzee "behavioural tendencies" for his "study" now.....
Note to self.....avoid the chimps........
I think that anybody who works with these chimps at all should be armed with both powerful pepper spray and a handgun. This is not a matter for decision according to political correctness; it is human safety, which is uppermost, always. The minute the young man was grabbed --- I don't care what he did "wrong!" -- the menacing chimps should have been sprayed. If they did not immediately retreat, then shot dead. If the survivors are intelligent, they will learn quickly not to threaten their benefactors/keepers. This young man will never be the same, and his family is traumatized forever. Chimps are not equal to humans. Also, I do not see a statement of condolence from Jane Gooddall. That is called for, immediately. I think she and people like her lure idealistic young people into dangerous situations,and that is irresponsible. Nobody loves animals more than I do, and I treat my animal companions as kindly as I treat my children. I also contribute to keeping threatened species going. But I think people do not use logic when it comes to certain wild animals, namely chimps and bears. They are romanticized and sentimentalized, and people die or suffer horrible disfigurement as a result of soft-headed thinking.
A "NO NO ZONE", a carnivore that will kill and eat warm meat at times, 7 to 10 times stronger than a man, and mentally disturbed bunch of chimps in the aera, things we do for animals the "second highest species" and put human lives in danger, is just beyond - I have no words.