The officer did the right thing. It is unfortunate that his action and what he saw troubles him. Any one who would have experienced this situation would have done the same thing. Waiting for a stun gun would have only delayed the inevitable. The animal HAD to be put down as it had become violent, and would have been violent in the future as well.

a 200 pound chimp is not "miniature". An animal in a human setting needs to be UNDER CONTROL 24/7 to minimize the potential for violence.

This animal was drugged and drunk FREQUENTLY. If the owner thought that was a good idea, she is unqualified for animal ownership.

Humans who achieve that condition and viciously attack people should get the same treatment.

Seems to me like this cop is suffering from PTSD. It was a very traumatic experience that he went through during the incident according to him. I do wish him the best and hope he fully recovers very soon. I wish the owners of Travis and his victim the best as well as I know how it feels to lose a beloved pet.

Chimpanzee's are not pets nor are they meant to live as humans !

I am an animal lover and I believe that we should leave these animals where God meant them to live with their own kind.

A third trainer was killed by a killer whale that should have been in the ocean swimming with its own kind and not meant to live in a man made tank. Too many elephants are shot because people chain them up to use them for entertainment.

What will it take before people learn to leave these creatures alone and let them live a free life. While I hate to see anyone get hurt,,, to often these animals have shown their wild side before they hurt anyone, and the people refused to take the warning.

As much as I hate government intervention, I think it ought to be illegal to privately own primates. I concede this.

Its about like owning a neanderthal, but even less prone to understand what its doing or control itself.

I'm with Carin on this; too often, wild animals pay the price for human animal stupidity; it's not ignorance, because it's been proven time and time again, and BOTH animals (human and the wilder one - well, should be careful- getting into debate territory there) pay dearly for it.

Also with Steve the dog man; this chimp was F'n drugged like it was human! He ACTUALLY had prescriptions that when not given, would give him withdrawals. Great idea there... get something that 10x as strong as YOU are strung out and then make 'em dopesick from time to time by not giving him his drugs. Oh, and yeah... give 'em wine and alcohol WITH his medications.

I'm not saying I'm glad she got her face eaten, but saying that I feel worse for the policeman and the chimp. They're innocent in this. While not saying it's the same thing, I know what it's like to be haunted.... I used to wait tables in a better restaurant in town, and could STILL hear screaming babies...at college, in my sleep; long time after I quit. (4 daughters, and never did that to anyone).

The owner of the chimp didn't get mauled-- her friend did. She's just as innocent as the policeman and the chimp.

m- Until you said that, I had forgotten... you're absolutely right, she IS every bit as innocent. I don't know that I would have gone in that house after hearing what the owner said, but yes.

It's been a long time since I first read all about this incident; I didn't bother reading it again; figured the story re-surfaced due to the orca incident yesterday. 1 stupid person = 3 damaged or ruined lives (and, however many included in the friend's family that have been affected).

It's sad all the way around.

I guess the victims family figures some money (50 million) will make things all better.

Like I said, sad all the way around.

The will to live in anyone is amazing, but Charla Nash is a true inspiration.

I wish her and her family nothing but the best.

I guess the victims family figures some money (50 million) will make things all better.

Well considering her medical bills, and the fact that the woman will need special care for the rest of her life, I think suing for compensation is actually needed. I cannot imagine the medical bills she has had so far, and think about the fact, she'll probably never be able to work again, or have medical insurance.

Fifty million oughtta do it.

Why not fifty billion?

Well Clint, what price tag do you put on your own face and hands?

The officer is sad because he can't take early retirement because of this shooting ... what a load of pure bs. Too many people now on disability for nothing.

I stopped reading after I got to the part about worker's compensation claim. Give me a friggin' break! If it was a gangbanger he put down, he'd be bucking for a promotion instead of worker's comp. Either that, or he obviously chose the wrong line of work. (roflmao)

I understand that this event was traumatic, but maybe this cop is in the wrong line of business. When I was in Iraq during the initial assault, we all seen things that were bad. Some of us had problems afterward while others just accepted the reality of the situation and went on with life. I am in no way saying that this officer doesn't have a right to be upset, but maybe this incident should convince him to change his line of work. If this situation was a school shooting or something else really horrible, would he be able to put his emotions to the side and get the job done?

Re: Clint, Ralph and Roy:

It amazes me how anyone can bash Officer Chiafari or Charla Nash's family for seeking support and compensation. They were thrust into an horrific -- HORRIFIC -- situation, the sheer intensity and devastatation of which no doubt has seared it into their minds. There's no turning back the clock or unwinding the terrible consequences of that day. They are damaged. Period. Would you want to trade places with either of them? When/if you evolve into human beings, you may gain something called "empathy." I know, I know, it's as mysterious to you as Calculus of Complex Numbers in Momentary Coordinates (?huh ?duh?). So let me tell you what I know of empathy: I've had my own ordeals, but nothing like this. And yet I know that all of these people - Officer Chiari and, yes, even Ms. Herold, are hurting and need help in dealing with it in their own way. So to them, I say: Peace and best wishes.

Roy, because the Officer had time off from the experience, it would have been sent straight to being a worker's comp situation. The department has no choice in the matter. It is the right of the employee to refuse the help.

He should have gotten workman's comp. Yes cops enounter horrible things many times but how many have seen a woman with her face and hands ripped off? It's one thing to see a horrible sight in a movie, quite another to have to see something like that in front of you. It isn't just enountering an enraged chimp and shooting him that has given this man depression...

RealityChecksin

Let me ask you and Corpus Christi; What price tag would YOU put on your face and hands? Is any amount of money going to replace the loss?

OBVIOUSLY compensation is due. (?huh?duh?) OBVIOUSLY her doctor bills and any and all past or future surgeries related to this accident should be paid.

Save the "I'm more sympathetic than you are" routine, and tell me what a "fair" settlement would be.....in your, so very empathetic minds.

I mean after all, it's not about the money right?

This is the stupidest goddamn story I have heard; It is a goddamn animal; get over it people!!!!

I tried to get out of working too. I'd go to the mall and imagine all the women without clothes. The denial was traumatizing.

To dalhorse - People like you make me sick!! Funny how you feel that way and you have an animal as part of your name....

I feel so sorry for everyone involved!!!

One story read; "No criminal charges are planned against the owner of a chimpanzee that brutally attacked a woman and left her disfigured". WTF!! If someones pit bull attacks someone (off its property and so on), the dogs owner is responsible!!!! Why??? Are their special monkey laws that are different!

This country really is going to hell in a handbag!

The only true victim in this mess, was the woman whose face was ripped off. If the attacker had been a pit bull would everyone be as sympathetic. Chimps are animals, not humans, period. It was the officer's job to take the chimp down. I doubt he would have had second thoughts if it had been a pit bull. Today, it appears everyone is a victim...the real victims are squeezed out by the people who are "traumatized" because they helped the victim. I looked up the word victim, in the dictionary and this was the primary definition...someone or something sacrificed, preyed upon'. The only one in this story who was preyed upon was the woman whose face was ripped off.

Reality, like I said. This story doesn't appear if the deceased were a Crip instead of a Chimp...the other boys in blue wouldn't let him live down showing such remorse for one thing. You decide what that speaks to as far as worker's comp goes. It seems like it comes with the job to me though.

Well said, fiddle man.

ClintHorace
Fifty million oughtta do it.

Why not fifty billion?

Clint, the woman has a teenage daughter she can no longer care for, and will need 24/7 care for the rest of her life. Even if one concedes that $50 million is an emormous some of money, there truly is no way of knowing just how much will be needed for her care, since we cannot know how long she will live.

I am one who hates when people put a price tag on every thing that occurs in life, but in this case $50 million seems like the type of sum that might just come close to compensating this woman and her daughter for all they have lost.

Fair enough karen.

I just didn't appreciate the way I was being portrayed as a heartless bastard by some other posters, because I questioned the fifty million dollar price tag.

I doubt the family thought long and hard about future medical expenses and care, in determining the amount of their lawsuit.

Rather, I would say they simply picked a number (with a lawyers help) and will worry about justifying it if the case goes to trial.

And just for the record, I happen to be a very compassionate person, and I feel sick for ALL involved in this nightmare.

Clint, I have no reason to doubt your compassion, but I think you might be wrong about the families motives regarding money.

The type of catastrophic injury this woman suffered is likely easier to quantify when it comes to the amount of medical care she is going to need because the amount of damage was so great. When one then adds in the fact that she is still hospitalized and will be for the foreseeable future, it is not hard to see that the medical bills alone are going to eat up a large portion of that $50 mill. When you then calculate how much in home care will cost over a normal lifetime...which is what, 70 years...when you look at the fact that this woman is in her forty's, $50 mill really doesn't look all that unrealistic.

The only thing that would give me pause would be if the cost of a face transplant were part of that amount. as that sort of surgical procedure is still in it's infancy and there truly is no telling how ones immune system will react to such a transplant over time. However, I understand the victim's wanting to appear more normal as she goes through her life.

Thanks!

I guess my point is: How do you arrive at fifty million dollars?

gr8ce2u...

I looked up the word victim, in the dictionary and this was the primary definition...someone or something sacrificed, preyed upon'. The only one in this story who was preyed upon was the woman whose face was ripped off.

The chimp was the only prey in this story. This animal had no choice in the hand it was dealt, to live with humans and not with its own kind.

As harley121 commented, if this had of been a pit bull then the owner of the animal would have been held responsible and as she should have been. It was the owner who called this woman to come over to help her with the animal.

"You should have talked it down." Must have been from PETA.

I am an animal lover, however, people forget that animals are strong, and dangerous. The officer only had a moment to defend himself before the chimp tried to attack him. I am sorry in that case he was absolutely correct in shooting the chimp.

PETA,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, People Eating Tasty Animals!!!

Yes, I love animals too. But they aren't humans, they aren't civilized. Even pets can get nasty if you don't put them in their place.

Chimps are more than 10 times as strong as humans. The average strong guy can pull 80 pounds with one arm. A 135 lb female chimpanzee recorded a 1200 lb pull with one arm and she wasn't even trying all that hard. A 135 lb woman can pull maybe 50 lbs with one arm generally. A chimpanzee is 15-25 times as strong as a human is. The reason is that their muscles are attached with longer lever arms.

Chimps are very tough creatures. They can fall 50 feet onto their back, jump up and run away. This chimp had been stabbed in the back multiple times and was shot 4 times. He walked away, then died.

I'm sorry for all involved. I'm not sure what the price of compensation should be. Her life has been altered dramatically forever. She has far more courage than I would have under those circumstances.

The officer should probably seek another profession. I know that the police see some awfully grizzly scenes in their profession. Auto accidents and 9-11 come to mind. I suppose a number of them don't know what their reaction will be or the long term effects until they are faced with it. Do any of us really know until that time?

IMO The woman who owned the chimp is an idiot by accounts of this story.(Sleeping with a chimp ... OMG, how perverse. Wild animals should not be owned, they belong in their natural habitat. The first time he bit a woman's hand, if you read beyond this story. Nothing was done. If that had been a dog it may well have been restrained, taken away, or put down. A 200 # chimp has 5X's the power of a man that size. The state is culpable too for not demanding that she relinquish the chimp in the first place.

yea i hear ya there. lets see...i'm face to face with a 200 lbs chimp, that just ripped someone to pieces, immm i'll talk to him as he is looking at doing the same thing to me. Maybe some tea and crumpets Mr Travis? He did the right thing, and the enevitable. The chimp would have been put down even if it was taking a nap when the officers arrived anyway. They cant let it back into the wild, to do what? Attack other humans ot be killed by other wild animals, or starve to death.

Seems everyone but the owner of this "pet" is suffering.

I'm sure she's suffering too. The woman was her friend, as was the chimp.

Second guessing ANY of the events of that day is useless.

Also, the chimp had been stabbed by the owner. A wounded animal is very dangerous enough, not to mention what he had already done to a person. A very sad situation for all involved.

I would feel much worse for Travis's owner had she not made some pretty foul statements since this attack occured. Mostly because she feels she bears no responsibility for what happened that horrible day, and should therefore not be subjected to any monetary damages.

I am an animal lover as well. An animal lover who would not hesitate to shoot an animal if it had or were endangering a human, and think people that have played monday morning quarterback by second guessing this officer, should have to view photos of the crime scene and see if they still feel the same way.

I pray this brave officer gets better soon, and I am sure the victim as well as any neighbors that might have happened by, are greatful that he was there and had the presence of mind to shoot.

Travis was anything but deprived. He lived the life of a rock star. Booze and drugs, had his own ride. Got the girls. Travis may have been a victim, but he certainly wasn't deprived.

He was just an animal. I would like to have seen my boss's experssion if I told him I needed time off work after I saw my dog ran over by a car.

act2,

You left out the faceless, handless, blood pulsating out, thumbs and fingers all over the place, woman reaching out to him with the stumps of her arm, after he just shot dead an animal he knew at point blank range, part. Other than that, it's similar to watching your dog get run over.

Hey, if you have the time accrued to take off, I don't care if you take it off to run over someone else's dog - just do it on your own time.

Made their bed, Monterey Park, CA

act2,

You left out the faceless, handless, blood pulsating out, thumbs and fingers all over the place, woman reaching out to him with the stumps of her arm, after he just shot dead an animal he knew at point blank range, part. Other than that, it's similar to watching your dog get run over.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

You left out the part where after seeing the horrific state of the woman, the chimp starts rocking his car, leaves, and then calmly walks to his car and opens the DOOR!!! Imagine that, a blood covered, crazed animal, opening your door and then snarling at you in preparation of an attack! Think about it, he just saw what the chimp did to that poor woman and now he was faced with a similar fate. If he had been slower drawing his gun he very well could have shared her fate. The opening of the door and the fact that she tried to touch him after he thought she was (mercifully) dead are the most distrubing aspects of the entire story.

Yep, exactly like running over a dog - except for coming across a person who was ripped apart yet still alive and the part where the dog tries to do the exact same thing to you before killing it.

Oh well, I sometimes think internet tough guys aren't lacking empathy or compassion, just imagination.

Exactly what people aren't picking up on. There's always the possibility of a bad day as he puts his gun in his lunch bag and I don't mind paying for therapy.

This guy wants disability which is a worker's alternative to suing an employer. Therapy isn't enough - he wants to get paid for doing nothing.

Rom2 - and how many of your fellow officers drink too much and end up eating their guns or becoming so callous and hardened that they can't maintain a marriage?! Being a good cop, soldier, etc. doesn't mean losing your humanity and ability to be affected by the horrors you see. I'm no fan of perpetual whiners, but if you get to the point where the ugliness and horrors of what you deal with on a daily basis no longer bothers you, you're not fit for the job.

Sub-humans, like the ones you speak of Rom, the crackheads need to stop breeding. If you wanna be cruel and heartless, let's try this, not my problem some crackhead had a kid and it's face got chewed off by rats. No doubt they were on welfare, if the kid made it, more tax payer funded, free health care for the kid of these sub-humans. Let her die, she will have no life anyway while in the care of the crackheads. At least the chimp wasn't on welfare.

And if the image of that girl with her face half eaten by rats haunted you, Rom, I wouldn't begrudge you some sessions with a therapist, which is all this guy wanted.

I'm glad you are able to keep doing your job and I thank you for your service. If he is so disturbed and needed to go on disability, well, that's why I pay taxes. God forbid I or you ever need disability. (And quite frankly, I'd rather a hero cop get a "tax-payer funded pension" than those crackheads you describe get all the rehab and intervention and other social services they won't even use.)

LOL- if you're upset about some other cops getting disability, think about if the lady who owned the chimp turned around and asked for relief or disability or what have you because, after all, the way she earned her income (exploiting the chimp) is gone! If you're gonna rail about hypotheticals use that as an example, not the cop.

Rom2: You really need to stop living in your pretend world. A retired cop? LOL. Stop watching the Law and Order reruns. If you indeed are, the men in the white jackets should be knocking on your door. And btw....I have 3 sons who REALLY are police officers.

Rom2...If Kim's sons were honest I'll bet they would agree with you but no one will truly know how they think...just what they say....most of these goody goody political correct animal lovers have no idea of the atrocities going on to children that really haven't made bad choices just in the wrong place at the wrong time. They probably want to put a name on this like the "chimpacaust" and put museums as reminders in every city to gain your sympathy instead of trying to forget the tragedy.

I really don't give a flying fig about what happened to the chimp. Did anyone happen to see the Oprah show and what the victim now has to live with? Yes, law officers and lots of other people see atrocities every day, and no one should blame or critisize them for seeking the help they need to get through these situations. As for you ROM2, if you are not strong enough to seek the help you need, thats your problem. The officer in the chimp case was.....good for him.

8^)

My sentiments exactly. You see a HUMAN has been mauled by an ANIMAL, then you immediately unload clip into said animal to HELP/SAVE THE HUMAN!!

It truly baffles me that some people want to put animals/pets on the same level as people. Repeat after me: A-ni-mals are not peo-ple. Repeat again slowly: A-ni-mals are not peo-ple.

I hope the officer's traumitization is from the woman's suffering and not for shooting 'Oh that's Travis'. But like another poster said, that was his job to shoot the mauler. If he had went in with gun blazing, maybe there wouldn't have been time for Travis to be ripping off mirrors and opening doors. Why the hesitation officer when a woman is lying torn and bleeding on the ground???

Hint, hint. Giving wine and Xanax to an animal might be a clue there's a problem. And I think I read somewhere this chick even slept with this thing sometimes. I think the owner had some screws lose and is sick in the head if you ask me. If anyone should be in intensive therapy it should be her.

Exactly, and the number one source of drug abuse among kids these days is their parents' prescriptions. Guess this lady really did think of him as her child.

Frances, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE STOP comparing animals/pets to children!!!! If you, she or anyone thinks of their 'pets' as children, then I see that as a problem right there.

I'm not a pet owner but know people who are and dearly love their pets. But I do have 2 children - and it would be a subfreezing day in hell before I ever ever ever said something to the effect of 'I loved my dog, chimp, cat like it was my child'.

That is some pretty warped thinking and it truly truly rubs my last nerve very raw. How dare someone compare/put my children (or anybody elses for that matter) on the same level as a 2 or 4-legged creature?!!

My daughter has 2 dogs and she is absolutely crazy about them, but she knows where to draw the line.

Personally, I would love a pet the same way as a child the day I could push one out of my body!!! Nuff said!!!

I'll compare all I want, Heyford. I love my dog far more than your 2 legged rugrats. Your precious children may grow up and be the next Jeffrey Dahmer. Jussayin.

To love a pet as you do a child is to treat that pet with the respect and care that you would a child. A pet is a soul that you take on knowing that it is a lifelong ( for the pet ) commitment!! It is a challenge to say the least. Do I give my dog steak and wine? heck no I give her dog food. While she is spoiled she is better behaved than most people's kids. I would trust the life of any of my 10 grandkids with her and I know that she would defend them to the death! Do animals have souls? you betcha! Don't believe it? Any creature that can love has a soul. I watched my father's dog grieve herself to death after he died. Nothing we did could console her. So I am sorry for you Heyford. I know that my dog never talks back, she minds her manners, she never has a temper tantrum ( although she has been known to pout ). Your remarks are those of someone who just has missed out on one of God's biggest joys, a pet.

Very well said, Frances.

Frances, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE STOP comparing animals/pets to children!!!! If you, she or anyone thinks of their 'pets' as children, then I see that as a problem right there.

I don't see a problem with it - because animals and pets are truly very much like children - in the respect that they have around the same level of intelligence ( for an example most dogs have the same amount of intelligence as a 3-5 yr old)most pets (besides cats are social) and therefore they learn in very similar ways ( positive reinforcement and repetitiveness) they have the same amount of innocence ( they don't plan on hurting anyone for their own gain, they are not inherently violent unless there is something seriously wrong with the brain or/and social circumstance(s)), this chimp was not only in a drug frenzy, but also not in his natural environment, in which he was designed to live, i highly doubt Travis sat there and thought " i think i hate that woman I'm gunna tear her face off" that thought process probably didn't happen at all the drugs and booze probably caused him to be very confused and disoriented. And the temper tantrums of children and in particular, primates,(primates aren't supposed to be pets but for this conversation) are pretty similar in body language ( screaming stomping waving your arms around and huffing and puffin) so a lot of social animals/ pets are really VERY much like children and the behave in a lot of similar ways, so comparison between the two seems natural.... HOWEVER the HUGE difference between the child and the animal is that very often the adult animal while he/she acts like a child, the animal has the physical ability to cause A LOT more damage to another being which is why we should never underestimate them even if they are sweet and calm 90% of the time- cause all it takes is that one time to cause a disaster.

The other difference between the child and animal is that any social creature will ALWAYS put their own kind above any other.... so a human will most likely choose to save a human over a chimp, and a chimp would most likely choose to save a chimp over a human....

but it is natural to compare animals to children because they really truly do have a lot of similarities, and that doesn't take away from the fact that they also have obvious differences, and comparing them also doesn't mean that we're holding them in equal terms as far as importance of life. its just simply recognizing similarities, and that's just as important as recognizing the differences.

THAT woman and her husband are not aces in my book. They were keeping a wild animal. allowing him to get drunk with them. There are just 3 idiots here, the woman, the husband, and ROM who 'c;aims' to be a retired officer. I don't think I would allow him the job of a crossing guard.

Very well said Tux!!

"The chimp had just ripped a woman apart, for crying out loud - if it had been a human attacker with a knife, does the officer wait for a stun gun for him? Does he offer a chit-chat?"

Exactly--and people would give this officer cr*p if it had been a human criminal. It's in the news everyday. Cops can't do anything right. Pull someone over for speeding, it's the same old song and dance, "Whyyyyy don't they have anything BETTER to do?" Person driving recklessly slams into your mother while she's driving home from the grocery store, it's "Whyyyyy don't these cops DO THEIR JOB whyyy was this person on the road?"

And then you even have OTHER COPS crying about it, like in this thread! Cop is forced to shoot someone aiming at them, it's "Whyyyy didn't he tackle them? Whyyy didn't he wait for a stun gun?" Cops doesn't shoot the criminal and gets hurt instead, it's "Whyyy didn't he do his job? Whyyy should he get a 'tax-payer funded pension'?" (Rom's words).

You bury the baby you were bringing home from the hospital because someone slammed into your car at 70mph, it's "where are all the cops, this reckless driver posed a threat to everyone on the road every day he did his 30 minute commute!"

You get pulled over doing 70, and it's "What a waste of resources! A lousy 15 miles over! And everyone was doing it! Stupid police!"

I wish I could vote your comment up twice Tuxkevin.

Dont F with my Karate Monkey.

Hell people kill in the fit of anger all the time. Last stat I saw was over 6% of the US pop kill or attempt kill someone out of anger or spite. I wonder what the percentage is of Chimps that kill? Bet it is less than 6 %.

'Holy Hannah!!' I've never heard that before. That's funny lol lol. Might have to borrow that one.

This is how "unbalanced" some of these peta people are. Was on vacation off coast of Sydney and the couple down the hall were major Peta activists. We had a swim call (5 miles off shore) and everyone went in..then we got out after 30-min but a few stayed for about 1.5 hours. The woman go attacked by a shark and it bit her leg off at the hip. Her husband was on the deck shouting "DONT SHOOT THE SHARK" while she was being mauled.(This was on public TV here in the states until it came out they were PETA zombies)

Stupidity is a result of social programs removing survival of the fittest.

mark, the only people that believe in survival of the fittest are the ones who will scratch, claw and gouge each others eyes out to keep what they made due to the social programs the law has made. those social programs made it easy to hold your stature.

as for the cop, he should be in another line of work. he's probably making more then enough off of his albums and song writing. then again, maybe we need laws to control whos being hired.

mark,

Maybe they weren't aiming for the shark.

guerilla,

That's a trick question. Live chickens do not "visit" a supermarket, per se, only if they are paying respects to a loved one. They have, with all due respect, clucked about how hard it is to identify their loved ones. However, it is ironic, that this scenario always ends the same. Everyone ends up running out the store like chickens with their heads cut off.

I think that there was no need to kill the chimp. So he was violent, that's chimps for you. Humans are violent too. Let's get rid of them. In fact, there is nothing MORE violent than a human.

Attacked by someone on Xanax? I highly doubt it; xanax is used for anxiety/sleep.

mister guerilla,

Comparing humans to chimps? Are you related to Travis?

Amen!!!

Thanks Cheryl. I just try my best to put things in perspective.