But that's like a tiger cub-they're also a lot of fun to have. When a chimp is young, they're very cute and affectionate and funny and playful. I don't know any chimp relationship that has been harmonious. It may go off for a reason that we may never understand. It might be that the dosages are different, but it really should be pretty much the same.Ī chimp in your home is like a time bomb. In general, in chimpanzees-because they are so genetically close to us-they will react very similarly to drugs. They are both very dangerous.ĭo you think Lyme disease or the Xanax might have been a factor in the attack? Having a chimp in your home is like having a tiger in your home. It's often impossible to figure out what reason they have for attacking. People must not assume that with someone they already know there's not some underlying tension. What might cause a chimp to attack someone it knows? To outsiders, they have very nasty behaviors.Īre male chimpanzees more aggressive than females? They go for the face they go for the hands and feet they go for the testicles. Aggression is a common part of the chimpanzee behavior, whether it's between or within groups. They have warfare among groups, where males kill other males, and they have been known to commit infanticide. So you have a very dangerous creature in front of you that is impossible to control.ĭo chimps in captivity show more aggressive behavior than those in the wild? And the adult males, like Travis-unless his were filed down-have big canine teeth. Pound-for-pound, their muscles are much stronger. Even a young chimpanzee of four or five years, you could not hold it still if you wanted to. Chimpanzee males have been measured as having five times the arm strength as a human male.
#BACK OF CHIMPANZEE HAND PRO#
But a pro wrestler would not be able to hold a chimpanzee still if they wanted to.
#BACK OF CHIMPANZEE HAND TV#
People watch pro wrestlers on TV and think they are strong.
The chimpanzee has strength for a human that is utterly incomprehensible. But in captivity, they have learned in the meantime that they are stronger than humans. So, really wild chimps don't attack people. That's why Jane Goodall had to habituate them. This was a sort of free-ranging chimp, which is much more dangerous.īut chimps in the wild are not used to people-they're afraid of them. The reason we have them behind bars in zoos and research settings is because chimpanzees can be very dangerous-it's to protect ourselves. But it has happened to many of the best scientists and researchers, who are now missing digits. It happens more often with people they don't know very well and people who aren't familiar with chimpanzees. Most of the time they attack through cage bars. He is affiliated with the Living Links Center at Emory University in Atlanta where he is a professor of psychology, and is also author of The New York Times notable book of the year, Our Inner Ape.Īre captive chimpanzee attacks on humans common? To find out more about chimpanzee attacks, we spoke with Frans de Waal, lead biologist from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. Travis’ owner claims to have given him a Xanax-laced tea the day of the attack. Some have suggested that the attack was spurred by Xanax, a prescription drug used to treat anxiety disorders in humans, with side effects that can-but rarely-include depression, confusion and problem behavior. So why would an allegedly acclimated chimpanzee turn on a human-especially one whom he had known? Travis was reportedly suffering from Lyme disease, caused by a tick-borne bacterium and known to cause fatigue, joint problems and mental difficulties-including trouble focusing and poor memory in humans. But periodic violent attacks on humans, including one in Havilah, Calif., in 2005 in which a man was maimed by two chimps at an animal sanctuary, are reminders that the animals have at least one big difference: brute strength. Reports, however, are starting to surface that Travis might have bitten another woman in 1996 and that Herold had been warned by animal control that her pet could be dangerous.Ĭhimpanzees, with a genetic profile that's 98 percent like ours, can seem like cute, hairy iterations of people. He appeared in television commercials and had a sapiens-level CV that included using a computer, bathing and sipping wine from a stemmed glass, according to The New York Times. The chimp, Travis, who was shot and killed by police officers at the scene, was apparently a friendly fixture around the neighborhood. The victim remains in critical condition. The owner, Sandra Herold, who tried to stop the attack, was also injured and briefly hospitalized. Earlier this week, a 14-year-old, 200-pound (90-kilogram) pet chimpanzee in Stamford, Conn., left a woman in critical condition after attacking her-mutilating her face and hands.
0 kommentar(er)
