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Subscribe to RSSA U.S. graduate student who was attacked by two chimpanzees while leading a tour at a sanctuary for abused animals, underwent six hours of surgery to stich and clean his wounds at a hospital in South Africa. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
Updated at 8:29 a.m. ET: A U.S. graduate student who was attacked by two chimpanzees while leading a tour at a sanctuary for abused animals underwent six hours of surgery on Sunday at a hospital in South Africa.
Andrew Oberle, 26, suffered extensive soft-tissue injuries to his arms and legs. His wounds were cleaned and stitched under induced sedation, said officials at Mediclinic Nelspruit hospital in Nelspruit, a city east of Johannesburg. He remained in critical but stable condition.
Oberle, a University of Texas at San Antonio graduate student, was mauled Thursday by two large male chimpanzees who pulled him under a fence into their enclosure at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden near Nelspruit.
Oberle's sister, Elizabeth Sosa, told the St. Louis Post-Dispatch that Oberle, who grew up in St. Louis, lost his ears, his left arm and all his toes in the attack.
Chimp Eden, a joint venture with the ape conservation institute founded by renowned U.S. primatologist Jane Goodall, is a sanctuary for ill-treated chimpanzees rescued from the illegal pet and bush meat trades and from the entertainment industry.
NBC News
Andrew F. Oberle was attacked by chimpanzees at an animal sanctuary in South Africa.
Sanctuary director David Oosthuizen said Oberle was working on a master’s degree in anthropology and primatology and was inspired by Goodall to study chimps. He was working as a guide and was with a group of tourists at an enclosure holding adult male chimpanzees when he was attacked by two of the larger males, named Nikki and Amadeus.
At a press conference Sunday, Eugene Cussons, managing director of the chimp sanctuary and host of the Animal Planet show "Escape to Chimp Eden," said the animals became aggressive when Oberle tried to retrieve a rock from within their enclosure, according to NBC News.
Witnesses reported seeing Oberle climb over an outer fence into a “no go zone” and step onto a rock jammed against the mesh of an inner fence, apparently so the chimp couldn’t take it and use it as a projectile, Cussons said. That’s when one chimp reached under the fence, grabbed Oberle’s foot and dragged him about 100 feet, Cussons said.
Gunfire
Oberle struggled, was repeatedly bitten and became partially lodged underneath the fence.
The two chimps then turned on a vehicle that included sanctuary staff. They decided they couldn't get out to retrieve Andrew, so they retreated to a safe zone and prepared darting equipment.
Cussons said he got out of the vehicle with a handgun and fired two rounds toward the chimps. The gunfire did nothing so Cussons retreated back to the vehicle.
One chimp then jumped onto the vehicle and broke the windshield. Cussons said he fired one round through the window, striking Nikki. The wounded chimp made "vocalizations of submission and anxiety" and walked away, Cussons said.
Cussons then found the injured Oberle, with deep lacerations and extensive damage to his hands and feet. An ambulance arrived and took him away.
A U.S. student was viciously attacked by two chimpanzees at preserve in South Africa. His sister says he lost his ears, a leg and toes in the attack. NBC's Rohit Kachroo reports.
It was the first such attack since Cussons, working with Goodall's renowned international institute, converted part of his family's game farm into the sanctuary in 2006.
“You can train for it, you can do your best to prepare," Cussons told The Associated Press. "But when it actually happens, it's shocking and traumatic for everyone."
Cussons said it was the first time he had asked Oberle to speak to visitors. The student had arrived last month for a follow-up visit after an extended stay to observe the chimps a year or so ago, Cussons said. As a researcher, Cussons said Oberle had been trained to ensure he understood how the animals might behave and knew to keep a safe distance. Cussons said Oberle was given additional training before addressing the tour group.
Cussons said Oberle broke the rules by going through the first of two fences that separate humans from the chimps. The chimps then grabbed him and pulled him under the second fence, which is electrified. Cussons said it was unclear why Oberle had moved so dangerously close.
Oberle's mother, Mary Flint, said Friday that her son knew the risks of working with chimps and would not want them blamed for the attack.
"He adored them," she said. "Since he was a little boy he just loved them, and I just have faith that ... when all is said and done, he's going to go right back into it."
The sanctuary remained closed Sunday.
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Leave a Comment:
Wait til Mayor Bloomberg finds out about this! It will be the END of Chimpanzee's as we know it
Great, Billy. Open with a juvenile, partisan political comment.
Actually on subject, it's important to remember the key element in this incident. The chimpanzees at this facility, Chimp Eden, have a history of abuse. It is a sanctuary for ill-treated chimpanzees rescued from the illegal pet and bush meat trades and from the entertainment industry.
It is often noted that we share something like 98% of our DNA with chimpanzees. And just as humans are emotionally scarred by abuse and ill-treatment, chimpanzees (and even dogs and cats, for that matter) can carry emotional scars of abuse at the hands of humans for their entire lives.
A history of abuse at the hands of humans, coupled with the fact that chimpanzees are several times stronger than humans, can be a recipe for incidents like this to occur. It doesn't mean that the effort to offer sanctuary for these animals should be rethought, but the amount and nature of human exposure to these animals should be reassessed.
He just went into a place he shouldn't have been. We don't know why, so no place to judge, but I am sorry he was so hurt and I hope that the chimps won't be punished. There are two fences and he went into one where he shouldn't have been. This doesn't sound like facility issues, but a human mistake. I hope he heals and can do what he loves to do...but a bit more safely.
If you were a chimp and had gone through what they go through...babies snatched away, animals butchered, beatings, etc...you might want to grab the first human you could reach, too. How sad for all involved.:(
I see he went to get a rock. Bad move and quite a mistake. That doesn't justify anyone posting nasty comments, but it does explain it. I don't really understand why he would do that, especially with tourists there even less reason, but humans make mistakes just as chimps do.
I think the important thing to remember is an average chimpanzee is stronger than the strongest human. The fact that they tend to rip off body parts especially male sensitive areas is enough for me to stay clear of these wild animals. I'm guessing these animals wouldn't survive in the wild but for the most part animals should be left alone.
Billy - it's a real shame that immature jerks such as yourself have to spoil it for the rest of us. Your post is a comment on how poorly your parents raised you and on your merit as a human being. You have no respect for someone who has been badly injured. Maybe something like this will happen to you one day. No one is immune to tragedy and it can happen in the blink of an eye.
For further reading, on subject, here is a very interesting Scientific American article. In addition to the reiteration of our similar DNA to chimpanzees, the article notes their incomprehensible strength in comparison to humans:
Why would a chimpanzee attack a human?
http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=why-would-a-chimpanzee-at
Those who work regularly with primates know of the elevated risks working with chimpanzees, especially when females are in estrus and emitting very strong mating pheromones. In fact, chimpanzees are generally more dangerous to humans than are some primates such as orangutans and even gorillas which are of much greater body size and strength. When one thinks about the genetic similarity, perhaps the chimpanzee propensity for sudden violence is a more "human-like" characteristic than we are comfortable acknowledging.
If he was my kid Iwould get him home fast
Well a 2% difference in the DNA can be rather significant where regulator genes (genes that control the expression of other genes, and not necessarily on a 1 regulatory gene to 1 gene being regulated basis) are involved. Some of the genes involved could control the phenotipical expression of dozens or more of the various structural genes....
All said though, this incident is unfortunate, and I don't mean to sound callous in any way in what I'm about to say. He's going to have to live with the consequences, especially if they don't have the body parts and can't re-attach what was torn off. But working at an institute for abused animals, he should have known better then to just rush in, in certain ways. It's correct to say these animals probably reacted out of fear or other ill emotion, especially considering their history of abuse. The signs were posted up there for a reason, those in charge knew the dangers and didn't want any incidents. As unfortunate as this is all for him, some prudence would have been reasonable considering he was dealing with abused animals who had been rescued from humans who have mis-treated them in the past...
This still isn't along the lines of some idiot who at the Albuquerque zoo decided to stick their fingers in a tiger's cage and start teasing the animal (and ended up leaving the zoo in handcuffs a couple fingers short)... I don't believe there was any such maliscious intent involved in this case, even if it wasn't the wisest course of action. But he would have been better off alerting his superiors to the matter, so they could tend to the matter (and tranqualize the chimps if needed), in order to address whatever needed to be addressed. His degree also didn't necessarily provide him with all the experience in animal psychology which, and i hate to say it, but would have allowed him to approach the situation more safely....
It is sad that this young man ignored his own safety to try to help the chimps, and was attacked. I believe his intentions were good, but he will have to pay for this the rest of his life. I do hope he will recover and be able to pursue the career he wanted.
The man had a gun, fired it twice into the air and gave up when it had no effect. A young man was being mauled, possibly killed. Give up on shooting the air and shoot the animals! What the hell is wrong with this guy? He literally allowed the attack to continue. What an idiot.
i agree if a lion had 98% the same DNA as a humans would you try to take a piece of meat from it and call it cousin it is common sence
Rick, did you read the same article the rest of us read? Where does the article say he "fired it twice into the air and gave up" when it had no effect"?
The article in fact says one of the attacking chimps dragged the victim about 100 feet away. Have you ever tried to hit something with a handgun from a distance of 100 feet? Ever tried to hit something moving at that distance?
The man with the handgun fired twice at the attacking chimps, and then retreated to the vehicle to prepare darting equipment (sedative darts are fired from a rifle).
The attacking chimps then turned their attack on the vehicle and its occupants. Breaking the glass windshield. The man with the handgun then used the handgun to shoot one of the attacking chimps through the glass windshield, wounding the attacking chimpanzee and effectively stopping the attack when the wounded chimpanzee became submissive and made submission vocalizations.
It is pretty easy to sit in judgement of the actions of those present during this incident while seated in your comfy chair with your computer keyboard; even more so if you decide to simply ignore the facts as presented in the article you are commenting, and call other people "idiots." Well done! Read much?
Yes so, there was a working gun, and instead of shooting the ANIMAL and saving the young man, he shot the gun towards the ANIMAL. When that didn't work he allowed the young man to be torn, and bitten which I am sure was torturous, to go back to his truck to load a tranqu gun? Did he take a pee and call his mother aswell? What kind of a moron doesn't save the life of the person? SHOOT IT! I don't even know what to say about how stupid the guy with the gun is. I hope he gets his ass sued. Meanwhile the poor victim will never be the same. I guess we should leave animals in the wild and stop trying to control them! They are not pets do not deserve to be in cages.
Indeed Ron. People seem to over humanize chimps and forget that they're wild animals just as lions are wild animals. And the idea of Chimp Eden isn't to domesticte chimpanzees, in fact it is the opposite.
'Patricia Wry Erickson' wrote:
Patricia, I reiterate. One of the attacking chimpanzees grabbed the victim's foot and pulled him under and dragged him about 100 feet away from the surrounding fence. 100 feet away, you with me?
The article's author used the word shot "toward" rather than shot "at", and you and some others seem to find great significance in that choice of word and you attribute the author's choice of word to define the actual actions of those actually present.
Well, what if the author had chosen to use the word shot "at"?
Let's not forget the obvious. 100 feet is a fair distance with a handgun, even for someone very proficient with that weapon!
Couple that fact with the fact that the attacking chimpanzees were moving, and that they were attacking the victim .....meaning of course that the person with the handgun would have to be also shooting toward the victim if trying to hit the moving, attacking chimpanzees!
Tell you what. Let's just say one of your own friends was the victim, and he's down on the ground 100 feet away being attacked by fast moving aggressive animals which are also on the ground and relatively compact. So, ...here's your handgun, have at it.
Are you going to empty that handgun shooting right at/toward your friend at a distance of 100 feet hoping that you hit the attacking, moving, compact chimpanzees instead of accidentally shooting your friend?
Or given the availability to you of a rifle, much more accurate at that distance and loaded with non-lethal tranquilizing darts (rather than lethal bullets), would you feel it more responsible to shoot THAT weapon toward your friend?
Quick, you only have seconds to think of your answer, take action on your decision and hopefully to do the correct thing!!!
I suggest you might take a look in the mirror and ask yourself what would I have done in this situation, with only seconds to react, and how comfortable am I that my decisions would be correct in that moment and that my aim would be true and I wouldn't instead turn a crises into a tragedy and accidentally take the life of my friend while trying to save him.
I think we know who the real "morons" are here; and they aren't the people present at the scene and making the decisions about how best to save their friend and colleague.
Even with a gun there's no freaking way I'd get close enough to make sure I hit the chimps and not the guy. Another chimp at some zoo just killed a baby chimp, that one lady not too long ago got her face and hands ripped off, and there was an attack in San Diego years back where a man had his genitals ripped off. If you value your body parts never get close to one of these suckers.
looks like this place needs to invest in a good assault rifle instead of a handgun !!!
This is a highly respected chimpanzee sanctuary that takes safety very seriously not some backwoods place holding chimps in tiny little cages. When they state the man was dragged into the adult enclosure we are talking about a free range facility that is 1000 hectare ( A hectare of land is about 2.47 acres.) in size that houses 4 different encloses for the chimps. The adult enclosure that this happened in has only 7 chimps and has a fence that surrounds a gigantic roaming area with another fence around that one for extra safety. This man clearly knew the risks he had not only been there before but studying the chimps was his lifelong dream inspired by Jane Goodall. He crossed into a no-go zone for reasons that only he knows currently and got attacked by 2 territorial animals that had a history of being abused and tortured by humans.
No Patricia he is not Eugene Cussons nor Chimp Eden is likely going to get their asses sued off because he nor others shot at instead of toward the chimps. For starters he could only have hit one at a time if he did manage not to shoot the poor man being attacked and then he would have another pissed of dominant male chimp ready to defend and attack again (possibly someone else.) But I am certainly glad you would know what to do in the case that you or someone you know is attacked by a chimp one day. If he had accidentally shot and killed this young man while trying to save him I suspect you would then be saying he should get his ass sued for not aiming better.
This facility has strict rules for no-go areas, safety and emergency response. The head team there (as much as they love the chimps they have saved) would never put a human life behind that of a chimp. As terrible as I feel for this unfortunate young man he indeed made a mistake and broke safety protocol. Maybe another time he would have simply walked away from this type of situation unharmed but on this day at that moment fate dealt a bad hand and he paid a terrible price for what was clearly a accidental error. The face that he has survived this says much about his clearly strong nature and his family seems to have no ill-will being directed at anyone at Chimp Eden and says he will no doubt go back to studying chimps as soon as he is better because that is what he loves.
So before you try and judge anyone for anything that occurred during the incident I would suggest you not try to incite a situation you know nothing more about then what was written in the paper and picking out the one word you did not like and making such a huge deal of it. Just a word that could have multiple meanings in this case.
Tara, your post (#1.18) is a breath of fresh air. Keep the sanity coming. It is a rare commodity on these discussion threads (reading comprehension appears to be becoming quaint and facts irrelevant for too many).
Best regards.
Here's an unoriginal thought: Send the chimps home. It appears,to me, that they are justifiably pissed, depressed, homesick,etc...They may disagree that being in a 1000 Hectare compound satisfies their needs when they would rather be roaming free in their unlimited [except by their own design] natural habitat.
I don't care what y'all self appointed experts spout on paper, no living creature wants to be fenced in. Period. Y'all talk about how closely related they are to "us"...well, then, would any of us want to be imprisoned?
Instead of everyone having their stilted conversations and sharing their cocktail party opinions - send them home.
Will they die in the wild? Don't know - but if they are as smart as you geniuses say - then I firmly believe that they are willing to take that risk. Because they sure as hell don't have a life right now.
And don't BS me, or anyone else, that they can't be sent home. Obama has the money. I know because I pay my taxes and I will approve the expenditure.
Just a humane, caring thought from me.
The important thing here is whether or not it was caught on camera. So we can gauk at it for one, and for two so that any aspiring primate handler can be made fully aware of the consequences for doing something ill advised (to put it in nicey-nice terms for you easily offended one's out there). If this guy was shown a similar video as to what just happened to him, in his indoc safety course, you bet your sweet ass he or anyone else wouldn't have tried that move.
'Michael Johnson-2683868' wrote:
Send them home, Michael? Just where do you think these chimpanzees are, Cleveland?
The Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden is near Nelspruit, South Africa. And are you aware that 1,000 hectares is nearly four square miles. You think a nearly 4 square mile fenced enclosure is a "prison"?
The Chimpanzee Eden is a rescue and rehabilitation facility. Many of its resident chimpanzees could not possibly survive in the wild, having been abucted/captured as infants who never learned to forage for food or had opportunity to learn from their mothers about predators and hazards in their environments which they would face in the wild.
Chimpanzees are animals with a very complex tribal social structure and hierarchy. You cannot just introduce an unfamiliar chimpanzee into an established tribe and expect that introduction to not end in violence.
How would something like that be a more "humane" choice than providing the animals safety and security and asylum from abuse by human beings and providing for their health, nutritional and other needs?
And as tempting as it may be for you to make a juvenile partisan anti-Obama statement with every post, ... what the hell does President Obama and your taxes have to do with this story?
Michael Johnson-2683868 is obviously another ignoramus who didn't bother to read the article properly before spouting his mouth off with his ill-informed opinion. Seriously, Brainwave... what on earth makes you think your President, your taxes, or your presumptuous 'approval of the expenditure' has any bearing on a sanctuary in SOUTH AFRICA??
Robert in Oregon, beautiful response. Unfortunately, the preponderance of mouth-breathers who frequent this site are just as unlikely to properly and fully read your eloquent and intelligent posts as they are the actual articles. But don't let that stop you from commenting; it's so refreshing to see a beautiful island of sense in the chaotic sea of ignorance.
Exactly right. We have no business exploiting these creatures. We experiment on them, torture them, abuse them- and then we have the gall to be totally indignant when they lash back. Hate to say it, but it's usually the HUMAN'S fault whenever a confrontation with apes goes sour.
These animals need to be left alone, but we all know that will never happen - people are too dumb to comprehend that.
A 12 gauge with 2 slugs, problem solved, boy safe, score 2 zip! Oh its a good thing they saved the animals so they can attack again!!!DARTS LIKE FARTS ARE FUNNY!!!!!
Rise of the planet of the apes. Was James Franco questioned?
It said he was dragged 100, from the fence. He was not 100 feet from the vehicle, which was INSIDE the compound since the animals attacked it. It does not state where the vehicle was. Additionally, since the vehicle was inside the compound, it, most likely could have driven to a place in close proximity of the injured. The man should have shot the chimps first, or already had a dart gun prepared for emergencies like this. It could have been handled better. Until people learn to leave wildlife in the wild, this will continue to happen. It is nice that they took these animals from abusers. There total goal should be to teach them to return to the wild, if need be, in their own troops.
I agree that the young man made a bad move by breaking the rules and climbing the first fence. That being said however, any place whose purpose is to treat, care for and rehabilitate wild animals should have an emergency plan to deal with an animal attack. It is simply not acceptable that a young man was allowed to be mauled while an armed ranger shot warning shots toward the attacking animals. He didn't have to kill them, just wound them so they would stop tearing the man's limbs off. At the very least the tranq. gun should have been loaded and in hand when the vehicle came to get the kid.
The chimps were wild animals doing what wild animals do.
The park rangers were humans whose first priority should have been to protect their fallen man. They botched it terribly IMO.
I agree, it's horrible that this happened to him. But tho it may seem "rude" to say so, he had the training yet he made the choice to go into an area he shouldn't have, now he will have to live with that choice for the rest of his life. His intentions may have been good, but if in fact he was going to get a rock so that the chimps couldn't grab it & throw it, he should have reported it to someone higher up so they could've handled it while he continued on with his tour. IMO, I don't think the chimps should be blamed they only acted on instinct which is what animals do. I don't think an animal should be punished for something that is naturally part of what it is. It's not the chimps' fault they were abused by humans & may still be somewhat untrusting of them. It's not their fault he entered a no-go area that was made for his & their safety. He probably scared them by approaching/entering their "territory" too fast so they did what came natural. Also, its like his mother said "he loved them & wouldn't want them blamed". So ultimately I think the decision should be up to him since he was the one attacked. I think it says alot about a person's love for an animal when something like this happens & they still love the animal & don't want it killed. I'm betting he probably won't want them killed (if he really is that passionate about these animals) & will be right back to learning/studying/teaching about this animals as soon as he recovers & will have greater knowledge on their tempers around humans especially after being abused.
They did have a plan, to which they referred in the article. If you read it you didn't comprehend it, Xina the not so Awesome. However, all the chimps in this reserve have already been abused by humans. It's important to protect them as well. Handguns are inaccurate beyond 20 feet at best, not to mention during a fight it's important not to kill the victim along with the attackers.
Tranquiliser rifles are never 'kept loaded.' Many of the drugs must be refrigerated or they lose their potency, and the dosages must be exactly calculated for the target animals. A slight overdose leads to death and that isn't the desired result.
The value of your opinion is inexpressible considering that you seem to know nothing about handling of dangerous animals. Those of us who do comprehend more about what happened. It is not the wild west or a battle between gunfighters inside an animal enclosure. Friendly fire will kill the victim faster than the attacking animals.
One hopes for the best for this young man's recovery and his future studies.
'willowbrook' wrote:
Willowbrook, some additional reading of the numerous additional articles posted from news organizations such as ABC News and Reuters will clarify that the vehicle was outside of the fenced enclosure. The chimps that attacked the vehicle went under the fence using the gap created when the victim was grabbed by his foot and pulled under the fence by the chimpanzees.
It was only AFTER the attack was ended (by shooting and wounding one of the chimpanzees attacking the vehicle and breaking the glass windshield trying to get to the occupants) that they were able to approach the victim.
The wounded chimpanzee became submissive because of the gunshot wound and made submission vocalizations which also called-off the attack by the other chimpanzee. By the time the attack ended, with the wounding of the dominant chimpanzee involved in the attack, the victim had actually been dragged "more than a mile", not merely the initial 100 feet at the beginning of the attack.
Let's not forget the obvious. Chimpanzees may seem diminutive, but they are as much as 7-times stronger than an adult human male. An active attack involving multiple animals was underway and two of them were already OUTSIDE of the fenced enclosure where visitors had just ended their tour.
Many people were in peril from an ongoing attack by creatures so strong that the glass windshield and windows of a vehicle might protect the occupants momentarily, but not for long. Getting to the victim was ONE priority. Protecting other people from becoming additional victims of the attack was also a priority.
I think the second guessing of the actions of professionals present on the scene, and finding blame, is awfully damned arrogant; don't you really?
@ Robert - I based my post on this article only. It would be nice if MSNBC had better reporting. Also, nice you have time to go out and look for other articles to support, disagree, or clarify this one. Why don't you start putting links on the thread to these other articles so others can read them and understand the material you bring to the thread that wasn't in the article? (Your snooty little bold face rant created this paragraph response.)
Bottom line, chimp, or human, which one are you out there to save? This man made a bad mistake, maybe they should have left them out there and let the chimps kill him since it was his mistake, and the chimps are more important than the human? Last I heard, it was the other way around. Time is critical in cases like this, trying to be "humane" to the chimps cost him his arm, ear, and all his toes. (According to this article.) I am well aware how dangerous chimps are. That is the whole point. The people who run this sanctuary absolutely should know how unpredictable and dangerous chimps are and always be ready for the worst. Doesn't matter their DNA is close to ours, they are NOT human, they are still wild animals and no amount of domestication will change that.
You most certainly have to concede being dragged under the fence is a complete failure of safety. They can proclaim all they want about how many fences there are and the protocol in place, it's still a complete failure of safety. Sh*t happens but this guy running the place needs to admit his fence system is bunk and needs to fix it.
I have watched this show many time where I used to live but apparently it is not run now or th channel is not carried where I now live. These people go all over the world rescuing chimps that are abused and after being abused some of them will never be kind to humans. The shows moderator has a great respect for these animals and appears to really respect their strength. I have never seen one person try to go near them. It was at least two people at a time when they were near them even the more tame ones. Some of them were in the process of being rehabilitated but there wer old ones there who acted like they would never be docile. They are wild animals. You can domesticate them up to a point but in the end the wildness will never leave them. The kid made a major mistake in not having back up and paid a huge price.
OWwwwwwwwwww! Righty!
You belong in the same category as Billy. You are an insensitive jerk.
The tranquilizer i would have prepared for them would have been two 30-06 shells that would have only taken a few seconds to load. Then their names would have been splat and splatter. As for the (we share the same DNA nuts) only thing i share with them would be a banana. Apparently these monkeys don't know about the don't bite the hand that feeds you rule. Oh and don't get bent out of shape. I know they are so called great apes. Still a monkey to me.
Helmets, head gear, mask like a Hockey Goalie, tranquilizer gun and fill in under those fences..
Okicize,
You're remarks prove that humans are far more of a threat and danger then any of the other animals on this planet! For you, acting the big shot is typical male, knee-jerk reaction and the reason there are several million species that are now extinct.. You just got to go and kill everything that walks, flies or crawls.. For you it's all about the 'big gun'!
The animals that attacked this young man had been the recipients of years of abuse and neglect at the hands of people, JUST LIKE YOU, and your ignorant remark about 'biting the hand that feeds you' is beyond stupid! These animals have no right to expect anything other then pain from people, it's what they've had all their lives, they can't logic it out that they are now in a safe place now and that's it's OKAY to suddenly start trusting everyone! Let's not forget too, they are very territorial and Oberle, who should have known better, went into their enclosure which is what likely prompted the attack..
Your remarks just goes to prove these 'monkeys' which they are NOT, are smarter then you, and, I'm sure they would be just as disgusted if they knew they shared the same DNA with a fool like you!
OWYP-Sorry buddy but you can argue and deny all you want but you cannot escape your DNA. That was determined eons ago. In fact, I hate to tell you this but you probably share some DNA with that banana.
Chimps are dangerous animals, just like lions and Tigers are, but we think because wthey look like us, they are almost human and make great pets. Human's arrogance will often get them in trouble. If we weren't so full of oursleves, perhaps we could let the animals be animals and just enjoy them from afar, with a telephoto lens. Better for both.
Ummm. Blue lake, you should research before you call someone out. There is no DNA link between humans and chimps, apes, monkeys, whatever you want to call them. That is why scientists are searching so hard for what is called the missing link, because it is all still a theory. Nothing has been proven at all. Also, they should have shot the damn things. A couple monkeys aren't worth a humans life, especially when that human is trying to help them. The only way to prevent these things from happening is to leave them the hell alone.
Seebreezin' You are a sexist bigot, you can't be sure that the poster you were refering to is a male. A lot of women share the same sentiments on the subject. Also Oberle did not go into their enclosure, if you read, they pulled him under the fence to attack him and they said it was a rescue for abused animals, it never stated if these chimps were in fact abused, a lot of abused animal shelters have animals that were never abused that they use to help assimilate other animals back into their natural "society". Get a life, go back to your hippie PETA rally and leave the rest of us with half a brain to do the thinking on all the stuff that really matters.
i feel so sorry for this young man. its so sad to see such a promising young life thrown into such an uphil battle for survival. similar thoughts and concerns for all the young men and women injured in active duty deployment.
unfortunately, 2 issues here:
1. whats up with ramming fb down our throats in order to try and make a post here. will someone please drive a silver spike into its heart ?
2. as an individual who was raised in a situation where hunting and fishing was a major "grocery store" for us, we all learned when going into areas where certain animals could kill you in an instant, that going into such locations without a sidearm less powerful than a 44 mag was just asking to become headline news.
3. i am very well aware that the PC anti gun and anti human crowd are fully incapable of differentiating between the capability of defending oneself in a life and death situation vs the idiots who exist in our society who will always be able to procure an illegal gun, regardless of the laws and will continue to make heinous headlines.
I agree about FB. Totally obnoxious and annoying. If I wanted to post on FB I would go post there.
But the rest of your post isn't related to this topic really. He didn't need to carry a gun, and they do have tranquilizer darts. He went into an area he wasn't supposed to be. These animals have already been hurt, and if treated with respect (as in they are dangerous and should be treated as protocol states) there is no need to go around with a gun ready to shoot and animal you might think you needed to shoot. This story wasn't about guns, but nice try trying to make it that way.
We should stop caging wild animals, or owning them for our entertainment. The idiot with the handgun should have shot the two chimps, not gone back to load a dart gun while Andrew got his arm chewed off along with other body parts. I can't imagine what that moron was thinking as the victim screamed for help with the means to save him but chose to save the chimps. Andrew shouldn't have been were he was. Epic stupidity to go around!
Love when the clueless comment. The sanctuary's primary reason for existence is NOT for entertainment purposes and you are seriously calling Eugene Cussons an idiot? Pfffft.
I think that if you're going to be honest about it, Jane Goodall's movie and such definitely WAS for entertainment. The center itself is a manifestation of a petshop concept of wild existence. I would agree that keeping the chimps cooped up for ANY reason is contradictory to a supposed goal letting them live their wild lives. Letting the chimps chew off a person's arm before using lethal force is a very clear picture of warped priorities. The boy paid a terrible price for breaking the rule.
Dave -
You are a fool. Nothing left to say.
not "trying" to make this a gun issue, but rather a self defense issue. dont read more into what i stated that what i stated. im speaking from real llife experience in plain english. if you can suggest an alternative and effective self defence mechanism im all for it.
again, for the umteenth time, a young man in a life or death situation needs to be able to defend himself.
btw, and this is not a question to read more into as well, it is plain english, how do we know the rules for the signs and public vs the rules for the rangers ?
personal experience tells me, there are different sets of rules.
ps. @ kelly hatcher, so a young man trying to save animals who is put in a life and death situation makes me a fool.
very curious. like i said, ps gun haters and human haters will never understand
I totally agree about this constant facebook requirement. Enough already.
Just wanted to comment that this case reminds me of the guy in Alaska who ended up destroyed by the bears he was obsessed with.
timothy treadwell
Andrew, get well soon. You have the same name as my first born and he is about the same age as you. I hope you get over all your injuries and overcome this hurdle in your young life. Hardships ultimately make us better humans somehow. It did for me.
Agree with some posts regarding side arms. The chimps should have been destroyed on the spot. It is a tough decision but human life above all. Going into any danger zone with animals multiple times physically stronger than humans one must have ultimate protection and be willing to utilize it.
As for fb, they are creating links (link analysis) on all of us, World Wide. Not only to they have your demographics and biographics but they also have your thinking. Freeze all fb activities. Z did not invent the fb concept. It was given to him in order to create a front and a face in order to milk the economic side of the market all the while adding a face of legitimacy and innocence to something that is EXTREMELY sinister.
If I had a son, he would look just like Andrew.
The gunfire did nothing so Cussons retreated back to the vehicle. Sounds like somebody needs to learn how to aim.
Somebody wasn't aiming *at* them idiot. Snugglepuss - I seriously doubt that the Jane Goodall film in her eyes was for entertainment. She's a serious researcher who wanted to educate people to the plight of the apes/chimps. I can't get over how many idiots there are in here.
My prayers are with this young man and his family.This was not a story where a gun was neccesary. Following the rules would have been sufficient. Don't understand going in to get this kid without dart guns. This place is all about the animals yet Cussons had to shoot a chimp? Oberle was trained and ignored his training. Cussons did not react with any kind of plan. Two attacking chimps so you throw em more humans? That just doesn't sound smart. How bout a well thought out safety plan being in place in case someone is this stupid again. Dart guns , nets, you know stuff like they use in the movies....
I totally agree with all three of your points, dave-2693993. I sympathize with the young man and pray for his speedy recovery but, you can't allow arrogance to interfere with rational judgement. If one insists on committing acts of sheer stupidity then one should strictly adhere to item number two of your post.
He went into to remove the rock the chimps were likely to pick up and throw. Those rocks are the equivalent of guns for the chimps.
They reacted like Congressman Issa and the NRA. The same primal urge when a scholar tries to reason with them.
God bless this young man
God bless AG Holder
God bless President Obama
I wish it happened to you and everyone you love. You are the lowest form of meat sack and should not be allowed to live with intelligent free people.
Call me a bitch, but I think he deserved what he got. I am sure there are SIGNS that state what that area is and he had no business going over the first fence where the abused chimps are. I am so sick of reading stories about folks who don't pay attention to the rules. This will make some folks want to blame the chimps, but I blame the guy. Use common sense.
I understand your love for animals. I too love animals. But when is a chimps life more important then a
humans? I just don't get that. You let a young man lose his limb to save a chimp!! That is unbelievable
And sickening to me. And to respond to some of you...... did you ever think he made a mistake why should
that cost him his limb and ear? Really you never made a mistake. I find that hard to believe as well.
Thank you Bill! My husband and I have read the article and watched the news story and we feel similarly to your post.
"But when is a chimps life more important then a humans? I just don't get that."
We support the Goodall viewpoint and taking care of God's gifts, but their comes a point when the viewpoints/choices are getting screwy. And from pure fact and evidence that these animals are dangerous to humans, why waste time instead of saving this poor boy's life. We can't really blame anyone, as it is a tragedy that came from mistakes and a moment of trauma, but should these chimps survive after such violence? I don't know. This is a hard topic.
Im totally amazed and sickened by the obsessed, deranged attitude of some "purported" humans who have more respect and care for animal life than human! Not only should the "retards" present have killed the chimps immediately , they should have run over the animals with their vehicle if possible. Even today, these nasty, very dangerous chimps should be killed in the name of safety for humans in the future! As for animal rights activists who care more about chimps than a young man who will be disfigured for life , hopefully, the next ruination of a human life by a wild animal will happen to them or their children!
Play with fire, you're going to get burned.
Wild chimps are not Curious George and wild tigers are not Tony the Tiger and wild bears are not Yogi and Boo Boo.
When people accept this fact maybe they will stop getting hurt.
BTW, Legal Texan, I agree with you.
Sad all around. But let's face it, first, these chimps should not be outside of their environment. Second, they have been abused by sick so called 'human beings' so our species is at fault for the entire event. The poor kid is very brave and it is commendable that he does NOT blame the chimps, he violated the strict rules. We are a worthless species and these events will continue, in one setting or another. Release the poor chimps into nature. Any talk about using guns and killing them is just another example of how sick we are. You play with fire, you get burned. He does not deserve the horrible tragedy, however, sadists such as circus trainers deserve to be malled to death.
Is it just me or does someone need to go back to Journalism 101? The caption under the video link says that the victim lost ears, a leg and toes. In the body of the article, the victim's sister said it was ears, an arm and toes. Now which is it? The article also says "U.S. primatologist, Jane Goodall. I hate to break the news to you MSN, but Jane Goodall is from the U.K. As a young woman she was Louis Leakey's research assistant. Note to MSN: Louis Leakey- The father of Anthropology. Nonetheless, sadly a young man was mauled. Our thoughts and prayers are with this young man and his family, not to mention the U.S. scholastic system that most likely turned out this horrible example of journalism.
N
"Those rocks are the equivalent of guns for the chimps. They reacted like Congressman Issa and the NRA. The same primal urge when a scholar tries to reason with them."
gridlock: Actually the chimps acted like criminals. Through your strangely twisted analogy, you've proven the NRA's point. Trying to reason with criminals (or chimps) doesn't work. The only thing that will prevent law-abiding people from being victimized is being willing to meeting force with force.
These animals, especially the babies are pretty cute and cudly, but the adults have no problem riping you from limb to limb. You got to use your head when around these animals. They guy made a mistake for the right reason and it almost cost him his life.
Dave - as someone else alluded to earlier - you're an idiot. Why start spouting off with your pro-gun sentiment? This has nothing to do with guns, self-defense, or any other thing. Jesus - the guy made a mistake - a BIG one. He wasn't hunting in the wild. He was giving a frigging tour in an animal refuge. And even if a tour guide in an animal refuge truly felt obliged to pack heat, are you really that certain that if he was armed that the situation would have turned out differently? This was a senseless tragedy. As with most such tragedies, there are no easy answers.
Also, your Facebook rant is completely out of place and, really, without provocation. The itty-bitty option to post to my FB wall could hardly be construed as being "rammed down my throat". But I guess it's easy to see how an anti-FB guy would have trouble seeing that.
Good grief, I am against the mass ownership of guns myself, but Dave has a very valid point. Chimps are extremely dangerous, and these particular animals were in the sanctuary because they were saved from lives of abuse. Their abuse history make them more prone to violence and erratic behavior than your average chimp, which as we all know, can be plenty violent and rip off body parts. He was removing a rock because one chimp had repeatedly thrown rocks at people's heads and caused bloody injuries. I don't disagree that those who got close to the chimps should have been trained in the use of weapons and given one to protect their lives. And I do not like guns and don't own them, but still believe Dave is not clueless. Be polite.
Dave - You are a fool, because the story is not about self defense, it is about a tragic accident that occurred because the boy didn't follow the rules. I'm for gun ownership, but if the rules were followed, as they apparently have been until now, there is no need to carry a gun for self defense in the animal sanctuary. It's truly sad how most people's minds work; do they not teach reading comprehension in schools anymore?
That said, my thoughts and prayers are with this young man and his family. Those who work around large and sometimes dangerous animals know and accept the risks, but that doesn't make accidents like this any less tragic.
Valhall..... I don't think ANYONE deserves this. What a heartless statement on your part. He made a major mistake crossing the fences but he didn't deserve this! Really!??
I agree with one of the other posts where the guy (driver?) had the opportunity to shoot the chimps but didn't. THAT was dumb.
I wish Andrew and his family all the best and hope he recovers quickly.
Although I hope this boy heals, I truly pray that he learned a lesson for a lifetime to come. He broke the rules, and by doing such agitatated these innocent animals and one innocent chimp was shot as result.
Maybe in the future it would best to respect the rights of all others, and stop taking tourists to view and goo goo over them. One day that may revolt as they should! Animals that are alledgely free should not be enclosed by wire and barb wire---for then they are no longer free and THEY KNOW IT!
My apologies to him and his parents, but this young man over stepped his bounds and got what he deserved for he failed to show respect to these animals and follow the rules---that he felt he was above!
No mention what caliber the gun was. A handgun takes a lot of shooting practice to master even for a 30 yard shot. Shooting in the air is both stupid and useless. The projectile falling back to the ground is lethal if it hits someone. A shotgun loaded with #2 shot shotshells from a full choke barrel is plenty lethal well past 30 yards. In any wild animal area,it's always a good idea to carry because you never know what a critter will do. An abused animal will be instinctively agressive and become defensive faster than one can think. I hate reading stories about people who fail to use common sense around animals. Animals are animals and have defense instincts that worry not about who or what they're defending themselves from. In order to survive one has to think like an animal so you don't worry about what's humanitarian,you shoot to kill or be killed. Sorry animal lovers out there but that's reality.
a 12 gauge and 2 slugs, boy saved, problem solved, humans 2, chimps 0,!!!! darts?? now thats almost as funny as having your arm chewed off!!
This is really important so pay attention. The information below could save your life.
Stay away from chimps. They are like small gorillas, compact and powerful but with their republican instincts will, unlike gorillas, try to kill you if they can't figure out how to steal your pension. Since chimps are stupid with finances they usually just try to kill you.
If you are attacked by cheetahs, or any other cats like house cats or feral cats, you always fight back as hard as you can. This always gives you your best chance. Cats will back off with minimal pain and besides staying still just makes it easier for them to kill you. To them you taste like tuna.
You also always fight the common black bears for the same reason. If you lie still they're just going to go ahead and eat you. To them you taste like chicken.
You never fight the big brown bears, i.e., Grizzlies and Kodiaks because to them an attack is simply a sincere attempt to teach you a lesson for breaking one of their social rules. If you fight, you haven't learned your lesson and they will continue to make their instructional point. They really don't care whether or not you taste like chicken. They get into huge fights with each other and gouge out each other's flesh, but they keep on fighting like this was perfectly normal. The strongest man alive can't hurt a Grizzly but he can make the Grizzly a lot madder.
You always fight republicans because they are basically cowards. They will try to steal your pension but only if they think they can get away with it. To republicans you taste like chicken with a financial net worth. You just need to stare them down, which will make them mad but will eventually get them to back off looking for easier prey like grandma's medicare.
I'm sure everyone who says he "should have shot the chimps" would be asking for the guy's head had he aimed for them & ended up hitting & killing Oberle. Have any of you stopped to think that maybe he didn't aim to shoot & kill the chimps because he didn't want to risk shooting/killing oberle?? Which being they were attacking him they had to have been right beside him &/or over him & moving, so that would have had to made the shot a little difficult to attempt w/o hitting oberle. I'm sure his main concern was Oberle. I think he reacted the best way he could in that situation, which its like he said "you can train for it, you can prepare for it, but when it actually happens it's shocking & traumatic for everyone." Everyone reacts differently, I think he did the best he could in those few seconds that probably seemed like hours. He may not have done it the way others on here "would have" or think would've been the "right way" but he still saved oberle's life & still got the chimps to stop attacking & still wounded one. I suppose he should make a statement apologizing to everyone for not killing the animals like they think they deserve. It's easy to say "oh he should have done this" or "oh he didn't do what I would've done", but fact of the matter is, You can say you'd do this & that but until you yourself have been in that situation you won't know what you would actually do. Some of you saying that you would have shot the animals on sight would probably take off running the moment they made their way towards you, or froze the moment you caught sight of what they were doing to him. I commend him for reacting how he did, he reacted better/faster then what I probably would have in that situation & he still saved oberle's life. Just because Oberle didn't escape in one piece doesn't mean that he won't be grateful to those who rescued him. Oberle had the training, the no-go area was put there especially for the safety of the staff & animals. He made the choice to climb the fence & enter where 2 previously abused, territorial adult chimps could reach him. Even his mother said he wouldn't want them blamed, so I would imagine he probably would have been upset to find out that they were killed (had they shot them right away), for something he did. I hope for a speedy recovery & that he will be right back to learning & teaching about these animals. I personally don't think these animals should be killed for not trusting humans after being abused by humans most of their lives. The people who work with these animals know the risks, thats why they have trainings, unfortunately people make bad choices sometimes & end up having to face the consequences of those choices, it's not the animal's fault for doing what comes natural to them. I'd say if I were in their positions, it'd be natural for me to be weary around people too if I was taken as an infant & abused until I was finally rescued however many years later.
Well if that is not his job to do that by jumping a fence so be it. Sorry that is how I feel. It is the same when someone will not pay attention to signs where it is stated not to swim in the lake, etc. The double fence is there for a reason. He should have respected it, but obviously he couldn't. I feel no sympathy. He should have reported it to the supervisor of that compound.
There are many, many misconceptions being bandied about here. Take it from someone who knows because I have worked in the exotic animal care industry for a decade: removing chimps attacking someone is not as easy as people seem to think it is.
Yes, Cussoms had a gun. But even if you were an excellent marksman, would YOU feel comfortable shooting at chimps who may have been standing directly over Andrew's body? One false move and Andrew would be the one who got the bullet. Or, the action might just make the chimps angrier and they might attack more viciously.
Also, it is not as though dart guns are just available at any time like real guns. You have to load the darts with the sedative right before you use them. If you leave them in the gun, they will corrode the dart or the medication might lose efficacy.
You also have to load each dart with the correct amount of sedative for the body weight of the animal in question. Too much and the animal might die, too little and the animal won't feel the effects. Also, some sedatives are extremely dangerous and have to be handled with care. The one used a lot in advanced exotic animal care facilities can actually kill a human if just a drop is absorbed through the skin.
As for responding in an emergency situation, you have to understand that there are no hard-and-fast rules when it comes to an animal attack. Animals are by nature unpredictable. There are guidelines, and one of those guidelines is usually not to put yourself at risk to save another, b/c if it's not done carefully you just end up with 2 mauled humans and will require a 3rd rescuer.
Yes, entering the outer fence was a mistake, but I'm guessing that Andrew was trying to protect the folks on the tour, so the chimps wouldn't throw the rock at them. It is easy when working with animals everyday to forget they are dangerous wild animals. I'm not condoning that action, but I'm just saying it's somewhat understandable for a kid who hasn't been working with animals all that long.
Finally, while it is a valid point that these chimps were particularly maladjusted due to their unfortunate former lives, chimpanzees are by nature a violent animal. They are in constant competition with others of even their own troop.
Are chimpanzees dangerous? You bet. But so are people, even more so! You never know when someone might turn on another person, even someone they profess to love. So let's not get all upset with the chimps. They're no better or worse than humans.
WOW! do I agree with what Texas Woman said! For God's sake, instead of trying to move the rock why didn't he just move the group??? Let's face it! He knew what he was doing and he defied the odds! I have no sympathy for him. I feel sorry for the chimps as they were only acting "natural" in their own home! Maybe he should consider another field to work in because obviously he doesn't have the maturity to work in a field that requires common sense and ability to follow directions. He is lucky to be alive!
One time abused a chimp will always be aggressive
Not after several lead injections. There's no more purpose in preserving chimps than there would be in saving a population of Homo habilis. They are evolutionary dead-ends. As Ronbo said: "We win; you lose."
Jacobite -
I see evolution left you behind.
Moron ass! KH
Kelly, chimpanzees have no problem jerking off in front of anyone, at any time. Let's see you how far you get in stopping one of them from doing that! There was just a story about a male Chimp mauling a baby without any apparent warning in front of people.
Evolution to its purest form is a dead end. Chimps & Gorillas have a 48 chromosomes, Humans ahve 46. Any odd pairings or extra chomosomes result in defects, and not another life form of another order.
The only reason evolution lives is because there is no other explanation for existence of life other than something pretty intelligent created everything with it's own unique code.
Wounded 1 chimp?????, went to get darts????? Thanks for giving the chimps more time.
You shoot them then and there!!!!!!!!
Leave it MSN to attach this story to the wrong photo.
A guy with a gun did not shoot the chimp that was mauling someone? Nice job douchebag.
but reading the story, if accurate, the chimp in question was aggressive, trying to get to the occupants of the vehicle.
not an enjoyable thing to do, but sometimes, the trigger just needs to be pulled.
yes stephen, if you read his comment you would realize he didnt suggest anyone shot the chimp. Jeese , talk about knee jerk reaction,lmfa
I had the same thought about the actions of the kid's colleague - Cussons. He shot two rounds towards the chimps? So, he made the decision to save the chimps' lives but not his colleague's? What the hell! I understand the chimp was just being a chimp but, in this case, there shouldn't have been any other option but to shoot at the chimps (assuming Cussons was trained in using the gun).
@ The Wratch of Klyph, huh?
I reiterate. One of the attacking chimpanzees grabbed the victim's foot and pulled him under and dragged him about 100 feet away from the surrounding fence.
The article's author used the word shot "toward" rather than shot "at", and some of you find great significance in that and attibute the author's choice of word to the action of those actually present. Well, what if the author had chosen to use the word shot "at"?
Let's not forget the obvious. 100 feet is a fair distance with a handgun, even for someone very proficient with that weapon!
Couple that fact with the fact that the attacking chimpanzees were moving, and that they were attcking the victim (meaning the person with the handgun would have to be also shooting at the victim if trying to hit the moving, attacking chimpanzees!
Tell you what. Let's just say one of your own friends was the victim, and he's down on the ground 100 feet away being attacked by fast moving aggressive animals which are also on the ground and relatively small. Here's your handgun, have at it. Are you going to empty that handgun shooting right at/toward your friend at a distance of 100 feet hoping that you hit the attacking, moving chimpanzees instead of shooting your friend?
Or given the availability to you of a rifle, much more accurate at that distance and loaded with non-lethal tranquiling darts (rather than bullets), would you feel it more responsible to shoot THAT weapon toward your friend?
Quick, you only have seconds to think of your answer and to do the correct thing!!!
I think we know who the real "morons" and "idiots" are; and they weren't the people present at the scene and making the decisions about how best to save their friend and colleague.
Agree! Well, thought-out response.
Hunter? Law enforcement?
You sound proficient with the use of, minimally, small arms.
Nice post!
Yes, small arms (target shooting with small caliber handguns and 22LR sport and target rifles). "Hunter", no. "Law enforcement", no.
I have fired probably twenty thousand plus (20,000+) rounds at stationary paper targets from standard target ranges of up to 50 feet with handguns. I would NEVER, even with that amount of shooting experience, trust my aim from a distance of a 100 feet at a moving target to hit within even 5 feet of my intended target even under the most, calm, controlled shooting conditions.
Shooting from that distance toward or at a person, hoping to hit an attacking animal, would be pure insanity.
Nicely said Robert. It's hard to say what anyone else would have done. I cannot say for absolute sure, but if if I were the victim's collegue I would think that first- If I worked there - whenever I stepped out within reach or within any enclosure with any adult chimpanzees (especially previously abused chimpanzees that are adults) I would always have been on guard for any type of aggression from these chimps...and for myself that means I would ALWAYS have a sidearm on my person (prefferably with an extra clip) just in case, or I would not work there... period. That's a must or I would not work with any animals that could possible tear my limbs off like a "tug of war contest" if they got over exited, which after all (i think) could be just an act of their "normal" behavior if they felt threatened for whatever reason. It's just a fact that it's possible.
Now... some of you are already thinking ..Oh sure... you put yourself with a gun first... Well. of course... I already explained why... that's a no brainer to me.
So.... if I saw that happen, I would pull my sidearm and run after those chimps... and shoot a few rounds in the air until I was in range to feel confidant and accurately shoot any and every one of those chimps trying to kill my colleague. I know I would be putting my life in danger, but that's the responsible thing to do. Hey, the other guy did what he did at the moment, you cannot blame him for anything... IT's NOT HIS FAULT. ....but if it were me, I definitely would not have thought of a lowly tranquilizer gun. Those chimps are just a step down from a gorilla, and they will chew off someones head in 20 seconds. Not enough time for dart guns. Shoot to kill.
Called being P.C. Probably would have voted for Obammie (if he had been a U.S. citizen).
Can you read? He did shoot at the chimps. Geez.
did you read the article ?
the attacked individual was defenseless.
I believe Ram was responding to Steven's post #6 where he was questioning why one of the other people with a gun didn't shoot at the chimp mauling the guy. He wasn't talking about the guy being attacked. There were other people there in a service vehicle. Begs the question, did you read the article? Cause if you did, you would have known exactly what ram was talking about.
yes, the fella with the gun shot at the chimps and eventualy shot one as it was breaking into a vehicle.
none of that changes the fact that the attacked individual was defenseless.
that is my point and has been.
Did any of you read the article? Cussons shot TOWARD the chimps (to scare them off) and not at the chimps. Poor decision. Steven Swann's post was in reference to how incredulous he was at the fact the guy did not shot AT the chimps.
He shot towards the monkeys , that's an admission he didn't shoot and miss, he wanted to SCARE the monkeys !!! What dopes, shoot to kill if you are trying to save a HUMAN life !!! MONKEYS, CHIMPS AND DEMOCRATS , whats the difference ?
"No, no, Johnny!" "No, no!"
He shot "TOWARD" is the wording used by the author of the article we have no evidence that is the exact word he used, as it is clearly not a direct quote from Cussons or there would have been quotation marks around the wording.
It is impossible to know what took place unless you were there when it happened so it would also be impossible to provide a reasonable (or unreasonable) argument for who if anyone is at fault. glad some of you are not prosecutors condemning someone for a word used in a newspaper that makes money by making stories more dramatic and exciting for the reader.
The atttacked individual broke safety protocol.Didn't need a weapon outside two fences.
He was trying to protect himself and others by removing a rock, which the chimps could have used as a projectile. I think his mistake was in not procuring a sidearm before going over the fence. Strange that Cussons only shot "toward" the chimps while the grad student was being mauled. Seeing that the gunfire had no effect on them, he retreated to the vehicle. Only after one of the chimps broke the vehicle's windshield and Cussons himself was in danger did he decide to shoot the chimp, which, by the way, did have an immediate effect on its eagerness to continue the assault . Declining to shoot the chimps initially amounts to reckless disregard for human life, in my opinion.
Hey NEWS geniuses...you got your pictures switched on the headline pages. This boy with his dogs, you called him a helecopter pilot. The kid sitting inside the helecopter, you got him as the one that went through surgery. I knew the news media screwed things up, but you did a number on this one.
It's MSN, what did you expect? They had to screw something up.
Ha! When I saw the picture of the kid with the dogs, I thought it was Bobby Brady on the Brady Bunch! Sorry, but some of you people get sooooo bent out of shape about @!$%#. It's almost laughable.
I hope this young man makes a speedy recovery.
Once again, someone enters an animal's living space. What do they expect? They better not kill any animal that attacks a human coming into it's territory, whether it's on land or water (remember to orca whale that killed the trainer?). It's not the animal's fault.
Did you even read the article? These were "rescued" chimps. They weren't in their own natural environment. I think people should leave ALL of nature alone except that which has a proven domesticated track record (plants, dogs, cats, cows, pigs, horses, fish, etc.). Let these other "exotic" animals like chimps live and die in the wild where they belong - like they deserve in nature unmolested by mankind.
And another thing, Mimi - human have every right to go anywhere on this planet unmolested and free from attack in the wild. Anywhere. We have every God given right to traverse this planet as much as animals do. And if the animals don't like our presence on this planet and attack, then they get what they deserve. Get over it.
Jhawke -
Your politics prove your limited intelligence but I'll try to break it down for you since reading comprehension is not your strength. These are animals taken from the wild by their abusers. They are then rescued and brought to Chimp Eden. The long term goal for the sanctuary has always been to rehabilitate the animals and then re-release to the wild. I appreciate that you're a man who likes to compensate for his short comings with assault rifles and other fire arms. It does not apply in this case. By the way, no God did not grant you dominion over the entire world. If God had meant that he would have given man the strenght of a chimp. So please stick to conquering your own backyard.
Kelly, don't happen to agree in total with all of JHawkes posts, but to say that he likes to make up for his shortcomings with firearms was unwarranted. I too, am a hunter. I respect the animals that I hunt and I care for the meat better than a grocery store. I do not think I am making up for my shortcoming, just feeding the family....and enjoying the comraderie of the hunt. Man is the superior species that just happened to evolve on this planet. It doesn't always appear to be the case, but, in general, it is true. That doesn't give us the right to poach game or infringe on the habitats of other animals unless we need it in order to survive. Still, your comments give women a bad name. A firearm is a tool...not a fake phallus or any other symbolic idol. It is just a tool. Like any tool, it can be used inappropriately. OH, BTW...I am a woman. I like to hunt and fish. What am I compensating for? The lack of one? Oh pleeese don't say that....I like being a woman. No, I am not considered stupid by my peers.
@Kelly - hate to break the news to you, but man is the superior animal not based on strength, but based on intelligence. You know the intelligence where we learned how to pick up rocks and use them as weapons? We evolved and evolved our weapons. Apes did not. God gave us the brains to dominate. Period and end of discussion.
Lol Jhawke~ I disagree. Humans don't have every right to go everywhere unmolested or free from animal attack, animals have every right to have a den/family/life, as we humans do and we need to respect that. Walk into a lions den and see how that attitude works out for you. While I feel bad for the kid, he went into an area that was marked No-go, meaning just that. The animals do what they do, if you want to suggest humans are smarter then they should at least realize that animals function based off survival, not always the supposed intelligence we pride ourselves in. I do agree that animals should be left alone, if you hunt, use all the the meat and don't hunt just for the kill. These chimps where in a rescue facility and the boundaries where clearly marked. They may not have been in their natural environment but who took them out of that to begin with?
Colorblind, I agree with you 100%.
Who decides whose territory it is? I mean, aren't we all kind of on this planet together? Maybe we should pass laws keeping the animals from killing each other also.
Honestly, I think we as humans are able to be and certainly should be more responsible to take care of our planet and the other creatures here with us-and I think that is what many on here are saying. However, does it really make sense to say that we are both more responsible to care for the world and the same as all other animals at the same time? It seems to me that we are either one or the other.
God gave man dominion over the animal. We were supposed to be smarter than them.
Abused animals never get over it. Protocol was not followed. This young man was in the wrong.
kelly
Not if everything is living in peace with each other. Just because all we have known is enmity between different lives, doesn't mean it couldn't have coexisted without the enmity.
You can even take natural predators, minus the parents, and they surprisingly can get along quite well. Ther was just a Rabbit and a kitten romping together on a video just last week.
Humans have reasoning skills that are not equaled by any other species. It's a shame that you sell yours and others so short.
I believe that fish and human beings can co-exist.
To the media:
Thank you for fixing your pictures of the two boys. That was pretty quick.
Sorry about this young man hope all the best for him but obviously too close to the fence IS THIS NICKI the same little nicki on Chimp Eden with Cusson was shot i also hope the chimp is alright--------these chimps did nothing wrong and should not be shot because some person didn't follow the rules -...........
you fool. if is a bear, tiguers or pit bull dog you don kill them or pamper and kiss ? idiot
We should all just pray for this guy (or if you are not a believer, have him in your 'thoughts'). No talk of guns, politics, religion is needed!
It was a decision that unfortunately will have lifelong consequences for this man. I think that any of us has made one of those 'decisions' at one time or another in our lives.
I think we need to pray specifically that he does not get any kind of infection.
I so very much agree with you cd711. This story has made me cry for him and his family. He was doing something he loved and attacked so bad. It is regardless if he got into an area that he should not have have been. I can't imagine what he must have felt and thought while being dragged and chewed by those apes. Me, I have always been afraid of them even at zoos. My prayers go to this young man. His dreams shattered.
damn dirty apes!
I agree with you mopmonkey. From his photo this poor fellow appeared to be a nice looking young man (which he now no longer is, for those of you who missed that part). My heart goes out to him with all compassion for what he went through. Just as I maintain for pit bulls attacking people those chimps are dangerous and should be put down a best possible speed. I don't care what any of you bleeding-heart animal lovers say. An animal is just that, an animal. A human is something much more than that. Those chimps will never "give anything back". They will never do anything for any human being. They have proven their worth, which is absolutely nothing except to eat, crap, sling that crap, and potentially attack another person in the future. Nobody should ever put any savage animal's life before a human's.
If he still has eyesight and the didn't gouge out his eyes he could perhaps become an accountant.
difficult to be an accountant with a lack of fingers
I don't think he will be working with the chimps any more. The left arm is a big loss, I thought it was bad but it was played off as almost nothing. I almost thought they ripped off his privates area to be honest. I would stay away from chimps from now on is all I hear about. Its to much money and life changing to be attacked by one. I'd want to make sure to kill these chimps myself, if it had been me. I wonder what Andrew is thinking about because it was his job and what will be next in his life.
it was not his job to go into the danger zone, he did something very very very stupid, broke rules, and that is the reason he was attacked, not because of the animal doing something wrong. With all the experience he seems to have had, he should have known better, why he would choose to jump the fence that he knew was there for human protection is beyond any reason, when egos get in the way, people get hurt. He obviously thought he was above consequences but unfortunately he learned a very hard lesson that he will pay for the rest of his life. These animals acted on instinct and that is no reason to kill them. They are not the ones who broke the rules
I agree and they show him in picture, breaking the rules and one fence away from the chimpanzees, just chilling there. I don't get why he was allowed to bend the rules, even if he was a worker there. This place may have a law suit on there hands because the Connecticut lady that was attacked is suing people as much as she can and I'd think nothing but the same in this case. It takes everyone to report bad practices to prevent an accident and that was not happening here. He was not a good worker at this place because these chimps are dangerous and he thought it was a walk on the beach and a game. There people should have bit the bullet and fired him for wrong doing and animal enticement. I hope he is ok still and will learn not to put himself in harms way.
Didn't we learn that chimps are not pets or friends? They are wild animals. They are not predictable. Didn't we learn this with Charla Nash? How much longer is this going to go on before we realize that wild animals are dangerous?
These chimps are not pets or friends. They've been rescued from abusive situations and are in a sanctuary. Try reading more than the headline sometime.
You must have read a different article. What I read was that he went into the enclosure to protect the visitors from having a rock thrown at them by the chimps. It was his intention to remove a possible threat to the crowd. It was a mistake, no doubt, but he didn't go in there to play or harrass the chimps. He was trying to protect them and the visitors from harm. I don't see where that is so wrong--maybe, poor judgement, but understandable. People get a bit to comfortable with the wild animals they care for and bad things happen. He will suffer the consequences of his error, so why not leave him the hell alone?
it was not his job to decide, if he saw a rock as a threat he should have notified the people in charge, not take things into his own hands, I am sure he was never told that he should jump the fence to retrieve a rock that a chimp might pick up and throw. He could have just moved on to protect the people he was in charge of, stupid decision, lifetime of paying for it. Unfortunate but another case of someone who should have known better if he had just thought things out for 1 minute before trying to show off in front of a crowd.
des...Please point out where, in the article, it stated that the kid was "trying to show off in front of a crowd?" I didn't read that. I read that he was trying to remove a rock and that he only crossed one fence...and he tried to drag it out of the chimp's reach with his foot. Bad idea. Error, no doubt. Where does it say he did it to show off? I must have missed that....or is there some assuming going on here? Do you know that he was NOT in charge of the chimp pen being clean and free of harmful debris? Where did you get that information? He was working there. He didn't ask one of the visitors to grab that rock. He saw a threat and attempted to remove it. Bad decision, but not so stupid. Just like your post...bad post, but that doesn't mean that you are stupid.
Eugene Cussons and Chimpanzee Eden know that chimps are very dangerous and unpredictable animals. The rules were unfortunately broken. Cussons would never put a chimp's life before a human's. I've seen him take a handgun to follow an escaped chimp with the intention to shoot if a human is endangered. This poor kid broke the rules. Something else that was not taken into consideration is that these animals have been horribly teased and react with aggression when something is taken from them. So he got too close to the fence and then without meaning to he teased the chimp by attempting to fight for possession of the rock. An electrified fence that works in a normal situation can be more easily tolerated by a chimp with an adrenaline rush from anger. If there was any way Cussons could have shot the chimps to prevent more damage to this kid he would have done it. Anyone who has watched Escape to Chimp Eden would know that the only person Eugene ever puts into danger is himself. I doubt the kid was showing off but he might have allowed himself to get distracted.
I don't believe the chimps should be killed. This is no different than the poor stupid woman who climbed over the guard rail, walked up to polar bear cage and turned her back to take a picture and then was attacked by the polar bear. The polar bear did exactly as suspected.
It's also similar to the 3 kids who were relentlessly teasing the 3 wild cats at the zoo. The cats were able, with the help of adrenaline, to breach the wall and get the kids.
Yeah, my guess is Cussons couldn't get a clear shot to get the chimps directly. If two chimps are rolling around and quickly pulling someone apart it would be a difficult and risky shot indeed.
Personally I would rather they take the risk if it were me but I can see how that would be too much to ask of another person. Imagine if he accidentally killed the student while trying to save him.
like the old saying goes ......your friend does not want to shoot, in fear of hitting you as the wild animal mauls your ass.......but you shout .......shoot ! shoot! because one of us has got to have some relief!
yeah i would want him, expect him to shoot.....
'FutureJKRowling' : Are you insinuating that Charla Nash was at fault for her attack? She was an innocent bystander when that animal started in on her. The person at fault was the owner of the animal, since deceased. One hopes that you are not blaming Ms Nash for her injuries. She merely came to visit her friend at the wrong time and unfortunately paid dearly.
Or are you blaming Ms Nash for calling on her friend on a day the ape escaped? This culture of blaming victims is despicable. Remember that 20/20 hindsight is always perfect. None of us can change the past and blaming a person for their tragic accident is cruel torture. No doubt everyone on the Titanic wished they had remained at home when the ship began taking on water, but it was not to be... was it their fault they died of hypothermia?
To all those claiming that they would have taken the shot: this young man is alive today because he wasn't shot by his rescuers. Would you want him dead by your hand? There's a rescue plan at this facility and it doesn't include killing victims of attack during rescue attempts. How would that make sense to anyone?
Could you call his mother and tell her you had killed him in a failed rescue attempt? 'Oh, BTW, he still has his left arm and all his toes. He'll look good in the casket.'
Cold comfort, that. Do please get real. Rescue plans are for survival, not to take out the dead by friendly fire.
Sounds like the south side of Chicago.
Except if it was in Chicago, the chimps would have the guns and the humans wouldn't due to the handgun ban.
That is the baddest part o' town.
haha! the "fire escape apes"prison primates,porch monkeys and gangland gorillas in the hood act just like this,and bite the hand that feeds them too
Racism is always so refreshing. Do you morons really have nothing else to do with your lives? I'm sure your local Skinheads and Neo-Nazis are looking for a few good men.
Next one the agenda, we will be opening a santuary for abused cattle, mishandled chicken, and sheep who are shamelessly shaved... It just goes to show how obsurd things have gotten here. There are starving people thoughout the world, because we cure disease and nature's natural way of population control. It's like the Goldfish declaring the top 2/3's of its bowl a santuary regardless of the fact that that is where its food generates from...
we can just feed the starving people to the chimps and the problem would be solved !!!
Matt Merritt -
Please fill me in on the starving people you have personally helped out. The only thing absurd here is your spelling and punctuation. You use a false argument. Money is not taken from the starving to help the animals. My guess, from your comment, is your "help" for the hungry is - "Get off your lazy ass and get a job loser!" Do you even contribute to a food bank? Your outrage is laughable.
Matt - you obviously know nothing about conservation - one of the first things Jane Goodall does when starting conservation in impoverished areas is work with the locals to improve conditions in tangible ways such as schools, job creation, etc. Look up her organization Shoots and Roots before you start complaining about some people giving a crap about the world in a way that isn't exactly how you would like it.
Charla Nash was attacked by an adult chimp. You think he'd learn.
This moron did not learn anything in school. These idiots think that these animals are human, the are f'n chimps and act like such. Maybe the student reminded the monkey of someone who stole his girlfriend. They have animal instincts, acting upon such. This reminds me of the old later who slept with her chimp until he attacked her.
If you want to see a monkey go to the zoo, or have the chimps contained in an area where humans cannot get to them. This chimp should be destroyed for attacking someone. Next he will get some African attorney to sue the monkey, who will need to be represented by an attorney. It will be known as the second monkey trial.
Ron,a chimp isn't a monkey. Its an ape!
Ron, you are calling this young man a "moron" for trying to protect the visitors from having a rock thrown atthem by a very strong chimp. He went in to remove the rock to protect the crowd. It was poor judgment on his part--should have gone in with a rake or something--but he will suffer for the rest of his life for that momentary instance for poor judgement and you think he deserves to be called a "moron." Wow...Not much in the way of empathy in your soul. Never made a mistake in your life? Good for you. Us mere mortals make mistakes all of the time and sometimes we suffer the consequences....Thank goodness you don't have that problem....being above it and all.
Ron, you are just mean! This young man did what he believed in. I believe as what Colorblind said. He tried to protect others. Now, his life is forever changed. My prayers are with this young man.
Chimps are NOT Monkeys. Chimps are in the Ape family of primates (as are we) So before you call someone studying to be a primatologist a moron (one who knew the exact risks of what he was doing and made a very human mistake; having gotten too familiar) check your facts, please? Monkeys are Monkeys. Chimpanzees are Apes.....
if you had read the article you would know that these animals were in a place that kept them away from humans, the guy jumped the fence not the chimp!
Cat
the chimps were just acting as chimps not human I am a nice guy who believes in Jesus. I will ask Jesus to forgive the apes.
modeltrains
a money is a monkey, a chimp is a chimp, and a baboon is a baboon, they all look and act the same lime humans. Some humans are white, some humans, black, some humans Asian, etc but we are all the same but look different. get a life.
Ron - chimps and humans behave more similar to each other then either of us do compared to monkeys. I would be very surprised if this had happened with a Marmoset.
So they`re going to let the chimps live?
they taste blood, who is next ?
As of late, chimps seem to be getting a reputation as the "pit bulls" of the apes....
Good analogy...and true.
We have long had a habit of idealizing good-looking critters and then finding out to our dismay that they turn out to have more in common with us than we would have liked.
For decades, the West oohed and aahed over chimps and thought them such wonderful, lovely creatures. With Jane Goodall as their sixties covergirl/ambassador. Well, they are amazing, but finally Jane herself punctured the balloon of mawkish sentimentality in 1978 when she had Nat Geo publish her article about some of the gruesome things she had observed among her beloved chimps in more recent years. Jane has remained their representative but she was never the sort to nurse illusions about the beings she was studying.
Furthermore, Jane cares just as much about the people of Africa. She was never a misanthropic, weirdo nutcase like Dian Fossey ("Gorillas in the Mist").
At various points, people have nursed infantile fantasies about wolves or dolphins, only to find out that they too, are capable of aggression and murder. Nature ain't like a damn Disney movie.
I saw a cartoon recently that had a musical sequence in which kids danced with a bear and sang "Bears are our friends".
Pretty irresponsible, teaching kids that wild animals are our friends.
That's how people get these stupid ideas.
ALL, please point out where i or anyone said the chimps should now be shot after the fact?
now, put yourself in a life or death situation and get an idea of what is and what isnt allowed for these rangers.
that said, in a life of death situation, should you or should you not be allowed to defend yourself ?
as i introduced the pc gun haters and human haters will never get it
I agree. If you are watching a person get torn to pieces, it is time to shoot the threat not wait for the tranquilizer guns. Save the man and then tend to the chimps. I don't get this kind of thinking. They could have removed the threat and instead, shot the chimp that was threatening them, but did nothing for the kid that was getting his extremities bitten off. Sad, but, there are times when you have to do what you have to do without judging the fault of things....Just respond to the event and then sort out why it happened. I think this was a very poor response to a mauling. REMOVE THE THREAT--FIRST. Then pick up the pieces and decide how to prevent this from occurring agains.
I take it you are an excellent marksman and have extensive training in these kinds of situations and would be able to shoot at the chimps without further wounding the victim? They shot the chimp attacking them because he was probably close enought to do so without harming someone else. Most people could not shoot a gun in a panic situation like that with a steady hand and accuratly shoot at the Chimps surrounding the young man. He shot at them, but obviously couldnt get a good shot (like in many hostage situations) without potentially harming the victim. duh...........
he broke the rules, that does not give him the right to kill
Yeah, `cause those chimps have human rights too and....uh...wait, uh...
Niether of us were there to determine if there was a shot available. Judging from the behavior of animals--take a bite and run to protect and eat it...then back again for another bite...I would guess that there might have been a shot available. I am a fair markswoman...and I have shot game on the run...fast. I would never take a shot that I didn't have...but, if I did, I doubt I would have missed at 100 ft. We weren't there. It would be hard to judge, I agree, but something more than hanging out until the chimps jumped on their truck needed to happen. BTW, if you believe that you can shoot something with a tranq gun, why would you NOT believe that you could shoot it with a .270?
Dave - does the NRA pay you personally for all your hard work? I would suggest you are the human hater here. Do you troll all these sites to spout off your agenda? This stuff has absolutely nothing to do with gun control and if you weren't such a moron you would realize this incident happened in South Africa and not the U.S. - so your pc gun control crap does not apply.
Colorblind - Monday morning quarter backing is always easy. I'm sure you have the abilities to solve all that is wrong in the world but to suggest they sat back filing their nails while this kid was torn apart is ridiculous. A chimp attack usually includes tearing out eyes, nose, lips, etc. The fact that this kids still has those - thank God - speaks to the speed in which they were able to rescue him.
Kelly...Sounds like you are an expert on the subject so I will waive to your obvious knowledge of chimp behavior and this particular "Eden." All I am debating on is what is in the article...Isn't that what these forums are for? I give the chimps the benefit of the doubt and I have given the kid the benefit of the doubt. I question the rescuer's actions AS STATED IN THE ARTICLE. They didn't provide any evidence that they were doing anything but backing off and preparing tranq guns--except when they were attacked. You apparenntly know more than I do about this situation and I hope that you will publish your works. Then I will know more and be better able offer more intelligent posts.
Kelly is a very angry individual apparently. Name calling and unwarranted personal attacks, and an infatuation with responding to every poster here she doesn't agree with. Typical liberal Democrat.
This was a horrible situation and I'm sure it happened very quickly. No doubt the rescuers took the actions they felt were best at the time. None of us were there, and we don't know why they did what they did. We can speculate about why they did what they did until doomsday, but I don't see the profit in arguing about mere speculation. (Of course, I guess that is what keeps Newsvine going-oops!)
Colorblind - I see your point through your sarcasm. I am a fan of the show. These are very ethical, earnest people who do this not for fame - the show is long cancelled. Eugene Cussons is actually a rich kid who gave up a lucrative career and takes the risks he does because he feels it is right. The sanctuary is on his family's land.
I am angered by both sides here. Some say the kid deserved what he got. Some say kill all chimps and erase them from the earth. There is a middle ground. To have every argument come down to the argument that if every human was armed life would be perfect is tiresome. I'm sure he was snatched quickly. If he could have gotten a shot off it could have hit the visitors. Cussons always wears pepper spray and did once have to use it against a violent chimp. The fact is the kid is human and made a human's mistake. He will pay for that for the rest of his life. The sanctuary is not flawed. Protocol was broken. All humans who work with dangerous animals know that the rules are not flexible.
Please forgive my fanatacism. I am passionate in my beliefs and I do not argue without facts to back myself up. I could publish my works because I'm a superfan. LOL. But it might be easier to simply go on the Escape to Chimp Eden website.
I am slightly worried that the NRA is gonna track me down since I post with my name. LOL. But I'm honest with my beliefs and don't hide behind a nickname.
Lastly, the greatest part of my anger is the unbelievable racist comments I read upthread.
Dave - I called you a fool upthread. In retrospect I realize that was rude and I simply should have stated why I felt that way. You immediately politicized this event. It took place in South Africa and yet you immediately start going on about pc gun control. I'm not sure why you think that pc gun control and human haters should be linked. I've spent my whole life caring for people as an RN. I'm pretty sure I've done a lot of good in the world. What good have you done? Perhaps a lot.
Kelly....I recently retired from a 38 year career in nursing--OR/ER mostly. I think I may have done something productive on a good day at one time or another. I also worked in a prison for five years and was a Public Health Administrator. I am not hiding behind anything. I don't choose to provide information on public forums. I think you are a bit overboard about the NRA coming after you. I was a member for years, but, when La Pierre went on his rant about "jackbooted thugs" referring to law enforcement officers, I cancelled my membership and now support the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation....
If the chimps left the body to attack a vehicle then the "they didn't have a shot" went out the window. They were afraid to leave the vehicle, but had no idea that the chimps would not return to the injured kid and do more damage. They should have killed the chimps while they were on the van--or whatever it was. Not because I hate chimps, but because it was the humane thing to do. Do you seriously think that pepper spray would stop a raging chimp? I don't. I don't like to see any animal dead because a human made a mistake and they had to destroy the animal--but it happens all the time to dogs. It is sad.
I actually was not being sarcastic. You seemed to be an expert regarding the names and status of Chimp Eden. I only know what I read in the report. Your fanaticism is misplaced in this case. You are certain that the kid was the only person there to make any errors. I am suggesting that it had the ring of a cluster F..and that it could have been predicted and better prepared for...Someone almost always does something stupid in their lifetimes--sometimes we come out of it unscathed and sometimes not so much. Cussons fired two shots then retreated to the van. He didn't fire another until the chimp was threatening HIM. I have never heard of a three shot revolver, but, that doesn't mean there aren't any--that was sarcasm. He had the opportunity to shoot both chimps and stop the situation while in the vehicle. He only chose to shoot the chimp that was an immediate threat to HIM. I think you give this man too much credit....Why? Because he was a rich kid that had a calling? I don't think his money gave him the courage he needed to do what needed to be done. It is a sad situation for all. I do not like racism either. In fact, it is a thorn in my paw....or a burr under my saddle, as they say in here. I think America is beautiful for its color and diversity and would rather live here, with all its faults, than anywhere I've been. I worked in the Kosovo refugee camps for a short stint...became a hardcore patriot. Not wanting the world to know what my name is and other fact about me is not the same as hiding. If you want to put it all out there, that is your choice. I offer my opinions and thoughts...I don't offer myself or my family.
Read the article again -Cusson is in charge of these abused chimps he knows what he is doing -----obviously some people think its better just to shot anything that comes in man's way----i disagree -these chimps did nothing wrong-------too many animals are dying because of human ignorance-
so, if i understand you correctly, what you are saying is, this young mans life is worth less than the animals he was tring to help, regardless of what they decided to do to him ?
Yeah, what exactly are you saying Katherine? And, please limit your response to just this case and not an overall moral/philosophical statement you have on man vs. animal.
Katherine...That is a grosss oversimplification of what was happening. A man was being eaten alive and mauled....It wasn't a matter of shoot anything that gets in our way. Who thinks like that? Ok, maybe, Zimmerman, but most do not. There was a moral justification to shoot the chimp TO REMOVE THE THREAT TO THE MAN BEING MAULED. Perhaps you have been watching too many re-runs of Planet of the Apes. No, the chimps did nothing wrong....but, they posed a grave threat to a human and that needed to be addressed. It wasn't. Now, the man will suffer for the rest of his life for his poor judgement....because nobody stopped the THREAT to the man being mauled in a timely manner. Judgement comes later....First, stop the threat.
they did not pose a threat until he jumped the fence that was there to protect him, he did something terribly wrong, why should the chimp have to pay for that, this does not make the animal some kind of wild threat to humanity that warrants killing. This would never have happened if this guy had followed the rules! Rules are set in place to protect the humans, when you choose to go against, what this guy should have well known better than to do, you cannot blame the animal. This was a ridiculously bad choice and this guy is paying dearly, no reason to blame the animal and kill it.
destrse - So, you are telling me that if you see your friend being mauled to death by a wild animal, and you have a gun in your hand, you will just say, "Oh, he was stupid, so he deserves to die." Shoot the ape first, then tend to the animal after you have saved the innocent human. This was just a wild animal being a wild animal, but when an innocent human life is at risk, that animal's life is not worth it.
And just think, if he didn't jump that fence, the ape probably would have thrown the rock, injuring other people. He made a stupid mistake, but he certainly does not deserve death or disfigurement for it.
Now in this situation, it appears that the man with the handgun did try to shoot the ape, but missed and gave up, so at least he tried to do the right thing.
dertrse...And if you tell your 15 year old to stay away from the swamps because there are water mocassins in the area and he goes there and gets bit...Your plan would be to watch him die? If you tell your kid over and over not to fight, and he gets in a fight and you see that he is getting beaten to death, your plan would be to watch and wait? You would not try to stop the fight, even if your kid started it? Just doesn't make sense. First, you deal with the situation at hand and let the judgement come later. Save all who can be saved, including the chimps, if that is possible--BUT STOP THE THREAT, FIRST.
That's sad and unfortunate that happened. Those are wild animals, and by them being abused, they were more aggressive. The man who had a gun should have immediately shot those chimps. The chimps need to be put down anyway, since they attack humans. People that are caretakers at these zoos, need to be very careful around these wild animals. They probably need to always have a real gun (not a tranquilizer), around those animals when caring for them.
Read the article again, Marcia, for comprehension this time. You missed many important points.
Destrese, he didn't jump the electrified chimp containment fence. His foot was grabbed and he was pulled into their enclosure. Chimps are 6 times stronger than humans.
One weeps for the quality of American education and the poor ability of readers turned out these days.
Stupid monkey.
Just another day in da Hood.