Chimpanzee Attack

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A sad story, my heart goes out to the owners and the victim. When I first read the story in the news I started my what gun for Chimps count down. It didn't take long. The most dangerous animals on the planet have opposable digits. Chimpanzees have 4 of them. Maybe we should strike now?
 
One of the disturbing things is you can tell the dispatcher thinks it's some kind of prank at first.
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I got the impression that he was unsure what was going on at first. Given the womans state of mind, I can understand that.

Ironically, CBS 2 HD has also learned that the same chimpanzee escaped from his owners' SUV back in 2003 and caused havoc in downtown Stamford before police put down the then-175-pound animal with a tranquilizer gun.
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That should have been the end of Travis the Chimp.


Anyone actually seen any pics of the victim? From what I understand her face was ripped off, hands gone, etc.

Also, does anyone know what they hit the chimp with and how many rounds it took? I think I heard 3-4 on the tape, but I wasn't counting.
 
This report suggests that he'd been hit w/ multiple shots from the officer's service pistol - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0E4G4gtsOQQ

FWIW adult chimps are notoriously dangerous. The ones you see on TV and in the movies are typically much younger. They're usually retired to sanctuaries, or some other appropriate setting, once they get older.
 
For those who still don't understand how strong a 200lb chimp is there's an informative exchange near the end of the 911 call.

The dispatcher advised the chimp owner to lock her car doors and she replied:

"It don't matter, he'll rip the doors right off."
 
No, "Creature", it's not an exaggeration. They are perhaps 5 times as strong as a grown man when enraged. There are reports of ****** off apes in zoos rearranging their exhibits. I always wanted to be a zoo vet when I was younger and all I read was books about animals. Their bones are more dense and their shape is such that they have greater mechanical advantage and then there is the muscle mass and very thick tendons. I'm not sure if the muscle fiber is significantly different but I'd imagine that the differences are impressive - with respect to strength.

I fear apes. They are more powerful, faster and intelligent.

They also castrate the people (and I assume each other) when they attack. So they will leave you a faceless, handless eunuch.

Rifles up!

I had the opportunity to play with a tiger cub. He weighed about 55 to 60 lbs. He was a strong as a grown Rottweiler. I'm dead sure that a 50 lb chimp is about as strong as an adult male human. They should not be kept as "pets". Same with monkeys and whatnot.
 
No matter how strong you say they are, a single 9mm or 38 to the chest would have an effect on them. They are in the same class as Baboon strength wise and killing a baboon with a .223 is common.

Their strength comes mainly from the manner in which the muscles are attached to the bone, and where, its like using a lever with the fulcrum way in, to the fulcrum way out. They are strong, and they lack any sort of social control that a human might have in saying, if I break this, I am going to pay for it.

As for ripping a door handle off, no way, they might get their fingers in the under the glass or the window frame and bend it, but I have done that with my hands and its not that hard. Again, its a matter of intensity.

Needing anything like a Stopping Rifle for a chimp is COMPLETELY laughable. Hundreds of thousands have been killed for food using every thing from arrows to AK's. They are not made of kevlar, and if you poke a hole in them they will bleed.
 
And dont forget those teeth. In both of those latest attacks mentioned, they went right for the fingers/hands. One snip and they were off.

If you were holding your arms in front of you (drawn) you probably dont have much time to get your shots off before they get to those hands.

Note, they're faster than humans and dont run straight like humans. From the other attack videos they hop and bounce using all their limbs. Talk about a hard to hit moving target!
 
Let's hope they don't become Zombies!!

To be more productive - they also have more mitochrondia in their cells for extra energy according to a neuroscientist friend who works with primates.

The papers say the woman used to sleep (in bed) and bathe with it. If she was too 'close' is under debate. It is not unknow for some primate researchers with gorillas to go off the deep end towards the animal.
 
What they didn't tell us was the owner had rigged up a TV in the chimp's cage and never changed the channel from CNN.

No wonder the poor beast went apeshlt.
 
Tactically speaking...

JohnKSa wrote:
This thread is for discussing the tactics of defending against the admittedly unlikely attack of a Chimp or other large primate.

It's not for discussing the ethics or wisdom of having exotic or dangerous animals as pets, the intricacies of animal psychology or the proper treatment of animals in captivity.
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OK, sure, but...

I'm a bit puzzled by this. As others have noted in this thread, adult chimpanzees, especially males, are notoriously dangerous animals -- the cute, cuddly ones we see in movies, etc., are infants. Folks who do behavioral research on primates (I was one, briefly, a really long time ago) are well aware of this, and it's standard practice to "retire" adult, or even adolescent, chimps to sanctuaries where they're not in close contact with people.

Keeping an adult chimp as a pet is NUTS -- it's a disaster waiting to happen. "Ethics and wisdom" aside, when we discuss other self-defense situations -- getting mugged, getting into fights in bars, road rage, even home invasions, the tactic of not getting into the situation in the first place is usually discussed at some length, so why not in this case?

If I knew someone who kept one of these animals as a pet, loose in the house, "situational awareness" would dictate that I'd stay the hell away... and try really hard to convince her, were she a friend, that she needed to find it a more suitable home.
 
Hundreds of thousands have been killed for food using every thing from arrows to AK's. They are not made of kevlar, and if you poke a hole in them they will bleed.
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And when one is hunting any type of animal the hunter has the time to make proper shot placement. That is obviously not the case in a defensive situation. For anyone to armchair qb this and insist that it could be done quickly and easily must not have ever had the chance to fire their weapon in defense while undergoing the massive adrenalin dump.

Perhaps some need to do their own research into the physiology of primates before making ignorant statements.
 
That said...

If I had to be in the same room with one, I think I'd want to have a 12 gauge pump (or, heck, an autoloader), loaded with 00 buck, at the ready... and I darn sure wouldn't turn my back on the critter. :)
 
Yea, to the original question.... of everything in my safe.... a 12 gauge would be preferred in my opinion. I have read numerous 'authorities' that state the same thing, that once 'in grasp' of many of the wild animals that would attack a human.... stuffing ones hand/arm down the throat would minimize further injury and allow the other hand free to do whatever with (I would hope I'd still have a gun in hand). Not too sure about that either.... but I have read it a few places.

This is just another instance/reason for NOT owning animals that have been "domesticated". There is always danger there. And I think too few of these owners actually respect that and take all safety precautions serious enough.
 
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