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  • From: josh.greenman AT gmail.com
  • To: "monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org" <monkeywire AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: [monkeywire] Why would a chimpanzee attack a human?
  • Date: Thu, 19 Feb 2009 23:26:58 +0000

http://www.sciam.com/article.cfm?id=why-would-a-chimpanzee-at

Why would a chimpanzee attack a human?

After a chimp mutilated a Connecticut woman's face, some are questioning the
wisdom of keeping wild animals as pets

By Katherine Harmon

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. The owner, Sandra Herold, who tried to
stop the attack, was also injured and briefly hospitalized. The victim
remains in critical condition.

The chimp, Travis, who was shot and killed by police officers at the scene,
was apparently a friendly fixture around the neighborhood. 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. 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.

Chimpanzees, with a genetic profile that's 98 percent like ours, can seem
like cute, hairy iterations of people. 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.

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.
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. Travis’ owner
claims to have given him a Xanax-laced tea the day of the attack.

To find out more about chimpanzee attacks, we spoke with Frans de Waal, lead
biologist from the Yerkes National Primate Research Center. 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.

[An edited transcript of the interview follows.]


Are captive chimpanzee attacks on humans common?
Yeah, definitely common. Most of the time they attack through cage bars. They
bite off fingers. It happens more often with people they don't know very well
and people who aren't familiar with chimpanzees. But it has happened to many
of the best scientists and researchers, who are now missing digits. The
reason we have them behind bars in zoos and research settings is because
chimpanzees can be very dangerous—it's to protect ourselves. This was a sort
of free-ranging chimp, which is much more dangerous.

But chimps in the wild are not used to people—they're afraid of them. That's
why Jane Goodall had to habituate them. So, really wild chimps don't attack
people. But in captivity, they have learned in the meantime that they are
stronger than humans.

How strong are they?
The chimpanzee has strength for a human that is utterly incomprehensible.
People watch pro wrestlers on TV and think they are strong. But a pro
wrestler would not be able to hold a chimpanzee still if they wanted to.
Chimpanzee males have been measured as having five times the arm strength as
a human male. Even a young chimpanzee of four or five years, you could not
hold it still if you wanted to. Pound-for-pound, their muscles are much
stronger. And the adult males, like Travis—unless his were filed down—have
big canine teeth. So you have a very dangerous creature in front of you that
is impossible to control.

Do chimps in captivity show more aggressive behavior than those in the wild?
In the wild they're pretty aggressive. They have warfare among groups, where
males kill other males, and they have been known to commit infanticide.
Aggression is a common part of the chimpanzee behavior, whether it's between
or within groups.

They can show tremendous mutilation. They go for the face; they go for the
hands and feet; they go for the testicles. To outsiders, they have very nasty
behaviors.

Are male chimpanzees more aggressive than females?
Yes, that's for sure.

What might cause a chimp to attack someone it knows?
They're very complex creatures. People must not assume that with someone they
already know there's not some underlying tension. It's often impossible to
figure out what reason they have for attacking.

Having a chimp in your home is like having a tiger in your home. It's not
really very different. They are both very dangerous.

Do you think Lyme disease or the Xanax might have been a factor in the attack?
It's all possible. It's possible it was the Xanax. In general, in
chimpanzees—because they are so genetically close to us—they will react very
similarly to drugs. It might be that the dosages are different, but it really
should be pretty much the same.

A chimp in your home is like a time bomb. It may go off for a reason that we
may never understand. I don't know any chimp relationship that has been
harmonious. Usually these animals end up in a cage. They cannot be
controlled.

When a chimp is young, they're very cute and affectionate and funny and
playful. There's a lot of appeal. But that's like a tiger cub—they're also a
lot of fun to have.

What happens when people decide they can't live with a chimpanzee pet any
longer?
There are chimpanzee sanctuaries. If you want to put a chimp in a sanctuary,
I would think you would have to come with a lot of money—it's pretty much for
lifelong maintenance. A chimp can live for about 50 years, and 10 is usually
the age when people don't want them any more. So that's 40 years of care.

I don't know where people would find these animals or why you would want to
have them. Even if a chimp were not dangerous, you have to wonder if the
chimp is happy in a human household environment.

  • [monkeywire] Why would a chimpanzee attack a human?, josh . greenman, 02/19/2009

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