The Disturbing Case of Travis The Chimp

Hey everyone :) in today's video, we take a look at the 13-year-old case of Travis the chimpanzee. And the damage caused to Charla Nash, a friend of the chimp's owner.

Links to sources used:

#scary #creepy #disturbing

Hello you very cool person i hope your day is going good :))

[wolfzilla]

the idea of keeping chimpanzees as pets has always bugged me. Mainly because they are like pre evolved humans, its like keeping a person as a pet.

[invaderxim]

Biology major and true crime enthusiast here. This story never fails to make my blood boil, and there are a few details I feel could have upped the impact of this video.
(TW for animal abuse, and the various things mentioned in the video)
- The "sanctuary" that Travis was purchased from was a pathetic excuse for a sanctuary, they regularly rented out their chimps for birthday parties, commercials, etc. Travis's mother was reportedly tranquilized in order to take her baby from her, and it's rumored that Travis wasn't anywhere near the only baby of hers this happened to. She was later shot when, after escaping with two(?) other chimps, she attacked a group of teenagers and their dog. One of the teenagers grabbed a shotgun and used it to defend himself and his friends, and the "sanctuary" charged him with destruction of property, leading to the seventeen-year-old spending thirty days in jail.
- After the death of her husband, Mrs. Harold took very poor care of herself and Travis, regularly feeding him pre-packaged frozen food and other very poor quality meals, and that's without mentioning the fact that in the aftermath of Mr. Harold's death, Travis already showed signs of irritability and aggression, albeit minor and hidden from the public, and it was his VET that prescribed him Xanex.
-This was not the first or only time "domesticated" chimps mauled someone to near-death or death either.
This entire incident was so, SO preventable, and had someone just stepped in after Travis first showed signs of public aggression, it may well never have happened. The hubris and delusional thinking kills me every time.

[varric]

The disturbing thing is that the doctors who threat Nash's injuries were given counseling because they're disturbed of how horrendous the injuries were.

[Estrallio]

The description of the mangled face really did upset me quite a bit. I can't imagine what horrors the surgeons had to endure. Some things are not made for human minds to endure

[S.H.Vofficial]

The fact that such an unpredictable animal would be able to take 4 shots, a blunt metal object to the head, and a deep knife wound to the back is freaking terrifying.

[StrifeSoul]

This whole situation upsets me because Travis wasn't a person. He was an animal. The fact that he was given Xanax, wine, ice cream, frozen dinners, is ridiculous. He's not a person. He was overweight and unhealthy. He died afraid and confused. Sandra is responsible for what happened to her friend. Mostly because she called her over instead of the police or animal control. But also because she did not take care of him correctly and never seemed to understand that he is a dangerous animal. After the traffic incident, they passed new laws about exotic animals. But Travis wasn't taken away because he "had never shown any signs of violence in years". That doesn't mean anything.

[SnazzGirl]

Sure, keep dogs as pets.
Sure, keep cats as pets.
Sure, keep hamsters as pets.
But NEVER in a MILLION FUCKING YEARS keep a WILD ANIMAL, capable of MURDER, AS A PET. Of course, if the animal can’t look after itself in the wild then that’s a different story, but this animal’s mother was DRUGGED SO THAT HE COULD BE KIDNAPPED

[PandaCase]

I remember reading about this and then learning that chimps smile when theyre feeling hostile, agressive and angry...etc. So after seeing photos of him after learning this.. gives a much more disturbing and eerie creepy feelings

[bizarrebobcat]

This story is the reason why I’m terrified of chimps, apes, and monkeys. I remember my mom watching that Oprah interview and letting me and my brother watch it after we wouldn’t stop pestering her. Wild animals are wild for a reason.

[samsonann]

Absolutely horrifying. So sad it had to end this way. I am glad that having chimps as pets is less common now than it was when I was younger.

[silverlepro]

thinking about how she looked while getting ripped apart and the screams of anger from travis sends chills down my spine

[CeeBee]

Travis was kidnapped from his mother. They drugged her with a tranquilizer, and snatched him from Her arms. It’s unforgivable. The relationship between chimps and their mothers is incredibly close.

[keleton]

My thoughts on Travis are that since he was raised as a human, he mentally aged like one. Some kids with issues usually turn hostile as they grow up, like a drunken man getting angry over little things. Travis reminded me of a person in this scenario when the speaker mentioned the first incident.

[B_R_A_N_D_Y]

The clip of Charla taking off her hood on the Oprah show was heartbreaking, seeing a woman mangled like that is devastating

[lunamoona]

14 years later, it's still a distressing and disappointing case, to the buildup before the attack, to the horrid 911 call and aftermath., what bugs me is how people still want chimps as pets after this case.

[ReginaldSpidercrab]

At 3:48 it's talking about how he won't hurt a fly but chimps smiling is a sign of aggression

[puellamaris]

I remember when they covered this story on Oprah and I happened to see it late at night at 9 years old, and Charla's face, concealed by a black veil. Her scars scared me, and I still get chills thinking about it. However, as I got older, I heard the details of the story and felt only sadness for the chimp and the ladies. This could have been prevented. But it didn't, all because of the hubris of humanity.

[plawsci]

Monkey and chimps and apes are really strong and terrifying in a way that is similar yet different than humans. Especially gorillas, they are documented to be ruthless! Ive been chilling with this channel for a little while now actually and Im glad to see you uploading so often, even if i haven't been as free!

[gruyeragus]

The fact that he was named Travis only makes it even more unsettling. Like they thought of it fondly, as a family member. Truly horrifying.

[rightfuldarthvader]

Imagine one day, you are relaxing in your home. It’s like any other day, and you are completely normal and in perfect shape. And then suddenly, you get a call from your best friend asking for a favor. Next thing you know, you are being mauled by a 200-pound chimpanzee with your hands and fingers being crushed, and your lips, nose, and eyes are no longer/barely intact. Just a week later you are an entirely different person, blind, no nose, no lips, and only one remaining finger.

Remember, if you think you had a bad week, just remember what this woman had to withstand.