Travis (chimpanzee) - mauled and ate parts of his owner's friend. Wild animals are not pets. - eviltoast
  • sp3tr4l@lemmy.zip
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    3 days ago

    The wiki article seems to list three possible causes for the attack:

    Travis was on medication for Lyme disease and was also given tea laced with Xanax before the attack. (Apparently the Xanax was prescribed by a Vet… though no source is listed for that exact claim, it showed up in the autopsy and may have been administered regularly?)

    The woman who was attacked had a different haircut and car than Travis last saw her with, and this may have confused/enraged Travis.

    A Tickle Me Elmo toy (Travis’ favorite toy) being presented by the victim sent Travis into a rage.

    In conclusion, chimpanzees should never be pets, and you especially should not give them benzos.

    • glimse@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      My takeaway was that having a chimpanzee as a pet is fine and so is giving them benzos but what you should really avoid doing is giving them a Tickle Me Elmo doll.

      • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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        2 days ago

        Afaik they have a history of sudden violent behavior so I wouldn’t try it. There’s calmer apes to choose from, though I would argue holding apes as pets is in most cases kinda fucked up anyway unless you are some sort of sanctuary that’s taking care of orphaned ones that wouldn’t survive in the wild.

  • bassomitron@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    A few of my friends keep telling me to watch a recent HBO show called Chimp Crazy, which mentions this incident among others. Chimpanzees can pull with roughly 800lbs (~360kg) of force, meaning they can literally rip parts of your body off (which also happened to the victim in the OP). If you’re going to have a pet, probably best to ensure it’s one that isn’t disproportionately stronger than you are. But really, just don’t be a dumbass and keep exotic pets that can easily slaughter you.

  • MissJinx@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    You can see he is not healthy. The guy is obese. Fuck people that keep wild animals in captivity… unless they need to be rescued.

    And just because we are here Fuck Sea World

  • DarkThoughts@fedia.io
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    2 days ago

    Travis wasn’t wild, he was raised by humans. Chimpanzees are very well known for their violent behavior & outbursts and IIRC the guy was also drugged.

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      Still wild. An animal doesn’t stop being a wild animal because it was raised in captivity, I think. The opposite is domesticated. So, domesticated like dogs and cows, raised in captivity (like most animals in zoos) or raised in the wilderness. Travis was most definitely not a domesticated animal.

  • LordCrom@lemmy.world
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    3 days ago

    If you want a pet, get a dog. Much friendlier and very low risk of ripping your arms and face off.

    • dustyData@lemmy.world
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      2 days ago

      I’ve seen poorly raised dogs mauling children. 100% the fault of the owners for being dipshits, but even domesticated animals are a risk. An animal is an animal, we are not masters of the universe, we can’t control them. Just, be wise and learn how to properly train and socialize a dog. Even my lovely poodle who had never even growled in 6 years, once threatened to bite another dog in the park because the owner thought it was fine to leave him off the leash and it came at her aggressive and too fast. She was fine with the other properly socialized dogs, but this one overstepped the boundaries and almost got hurt. The owner liked to claim she had trained her baby, but there she was screaming like a hysterical idiot and being completely ignored by her perfect angel who thought he could prowl the world. That dog got lost for two days not much later.

    • TommySoda@lemmy.world
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      3 days ago

      Like, how fucked up? I just read through the whole thing and it didn’t mention it from what I saw.

      Edit: Never I found it in the post. Super fucked up

      • P34C0CK@lemmy.world
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        3 days ago

        “Sandra, at this point, believing Charla to be dead, then rushed to her car, locked herself inside, and called 911. Travis’s screams can be heard in the background at the start of the tape as she pleads for the police, who initially believed the call to be a hoax until she said, “He’s eating her!””

        • ditty@lemm.ee
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          2 days ago

          God damnit I wish I had scrolled to see your comment first. Jesus Christ