His vision in his remaining eye is blurry. He cannot bathe himself, go to the bathroom, or even eat without her help. "An adult male chimpanzee is a formidable animal. He knew that shaking one's head up and down meant okay and side to side meant disapproval. [4][7] In 2002, the Davises filed a civil rights lawsuit against West Covina, California; the city ultimately agreed to pay the Davises US$100,000 plus US$225,000 for a home purchase in nearby Baldwin Park, California, where they could live with Moe. The 14-year-old chimpanzee latched onto Nash's face and tore it apart. St. James and LaDonna Davis were in court, found in violation of a city ordinance against harboring a wild animal a young chimpanzee they'd kept in their home nearly from birth. The injury left her with no nose, palate, or way to eat or breathe normally. she also worried about Moe. "He was just such a happy little guy," LaDonna says. When he got too big by age six he weighed about fifty pounds St. James would carry Moe back to his bedroom after he fell asleep. The chimp, a 200-lb animal kept as a house pet, was named "Travis" and had appeared in television commercials when he was younger. 2023 FOX News Network, LLC. he says as she applies the epoxy. St. James tried to put one of his hands down the animal's throat, but the chimp just kept chewing on it and chewing on it, and he couldn't get it out. Moe was inside his cage when two cops arrived at the front door. See pictures of the 50th running of the Daytona 500. St. James, sixty-six, a former high school football star and onetime Nascar driver, is severely disabled and disfigured. I want this tool, but maybe you don't want that tool. They ate, slept, and watched TV together. LaDonna kept repeating the same five words as St. James was loaded into an ambulance: "Don't you die on me." The Davises have indeed filed a personal-injury suit against the shelter in Kern County, California, Superior Court. The victimsuffered extensive injuries, including severe facial mauling and loss of both hands. Perfect almost. You could make the argument that she should've found a better home for it or even released it at that point, but it was her husband's beloved pet and I'm sure she couldn't do that to him after he passed. St. James and LaDonna both made impassioned pleas to the court. But St. James's crying has nothing to do with his physical condition. The owner of the chimp attempted to stab Travis with a butcher knife to rescue her friend, but was unable to stop the attack. [15], Moe disappeared in the summer of 2008. He can't get through the next few minutes without breaking down several times. Animal-rights groups got involved. That could conceivably be done in a matter of weeks, but "to find a suitable donor with matching skin color and size and other features, that's a practical limitation," he said. [11], St. James spent six months in a hospital recovering from the attack, including a period of time when he was in a coma. The article above includes the Davises's account of their chimp, Moe, in the days after authorities seized him and placed him in an exotic-animal shelter. He'd put his hands up and turn an imaginary steering wheel. Sanctuary owners Ralph and Virginia Brauer have California permits to keep chimpanzees, and have housed confiscated or otherwise displaced animals at Animal Haven since 1985. It came nine days after Moe was taken, and it was from the operator of the facility Moe had been taken to the Wildlife WayStation in the foothills of the Angeles National Forest, a 160-acre refuge for exotic animals. The zoo later settled a lawsuit brought by the seriously injured employee. From the moment St. James returned from a trip to Africa with Moe in 1967, the chimpanzee was the center of the couple's life. Three years after the attack, St. James is completely dependent on LaDonna. See pictures of animals facing extinction. he demanded. Moe would remain the couple's only child. Think about it. The Davises fielded dozens of TV and movie requests for Moe. Influence on legislation [ edit] NEW YORK (CBS/AP) On Wednesday, Charla Nash revealed her gravely disfigured face on "The Oprah Winfrey Show," appearing on television for the first time since she sustained major injuries in a. And how that came to be, and what that ultimately would mean for them, is a singular kind of story. The ferocious attack by a chimpanzee of a woman in Stamford, Conn., on Feb. 16 wasn't a question of if but of when. "I was so tired, but I had to keep fighting," Davis said. Powered and implemented by FactSet Digital Solutions. "It was amazing to us she had these type of injuries and they were survivable," Ackley said. He behaved like a prince. Over the next three decades, the Davises lived what they considered a near-perfect life. He had seen the chimp around town and knew how big he was. [3], In the 1990s, Moe was housed in a 10ft (3.0m) by 12ft (3.7m) enclosure at the Davis home. Over the years, St. James had gone to the library and studied chimpanzee behavior. Her head injuries "involved her entire face and scalp," Ackley said. He'd motion as if he were turning a steering wheel back and forth when he wanted to go for a ride. [9][10] Moe did not participate in the attack. By the time the standoff ended, Moe had dented a police car, injured an officer's hand, and scratched an animal-control agent. His eyes were vacant. After arriving at Loma Linda University Medical Center, St. James was immediately put into a medically induced coma. "LaDonna, what are you doing?" She handed him a flashlight and a cup of hot chocolate. All rights reserved. Fatally shot by a police officer, he retreated to Herold's home and died. Blood poured from his body, and LaDonna was screaming. The chimp shook his head and refused to eat it. By the time St. James and LaDonna saw the enclosure, it had been repaired and cleaned. It was the fourth partial face transplant in the world, though the others were not as extensive. Although the compound is on such uneven terrain that it prevented his wheelchair from approaching Moe's cage, the trips were still the highlight of St. James's week. His shrieking turned into gagging noises as he furiously banged on his cage with his hands and feet. When Carruthers returned, he focused on the older male, the prime aggressor. Medical workers found Nash, completely unrecognizable, face down Monday in friend Sandra Herold's driveway. Her hands, eyelids, nose and lips were torn from her body. Waiting for St. James inside the terminal was his mother, Estelle. A lawsuit followed, but the case was dismissed. The woman was told not to put her hand in his cage, but she did anyway. Mutual Fund and ETF data provided by Refinitiv Lipper. It was very difficult to determine where everything was because of the blood.". [5], [1] Residents Shocked by Brutal Chimp Attack , on-line at http://www.wfsb.com/news/18726175/detail.html ; Chimp Attack 911 Call: Hes ripping her apart," on-line at http://www.cnn.com/2009/US/02/17/chimpanzee.attack/, [2] Chimps Killed After Zoo Escape , on-line at http://www.wtop.com/index.php?nid=502&sid=605425, [3] Chimps Escape, Attack Visitors , on-line at http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,149364,00.html ; Gruesome Chimp Attack Doesnt Surprise Experts , on-line at http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7087194/ ; Chimps Attack Humans After Chimpanzees Escape Enclosures at Animal Haven in California , on-line at http://www.arkanimals.com/dlg/chimpanzee_escape_chimps_attack.htm, [4] Chimpanzee Escape Forces L.A. "When humans keep wild animals as pets, they pose a danger, and more times than not it will end in tragedy.". "One, two three.". Get out of here!". There was the time with the peanut-butter-and-jelly sandwich. The Davises were broken. St. James wants to one day work on his cars again. As soon as they got home, St. James carried Moe to the couple's bedroom. With both hands, he pushed the bigger animal. Despite the potential threat chimpanzees pose, many U.S. states, including Connecticut, legally allow people to raise them as pets. Shes a good mother and, like all good mothers, shes worried about her daughter, Oprah said. Legal Statement. Days later, while following a group of Tanzanians he befriended on a hunt, St. James witnessed a band of poachers slaughter a female chimpanzee just after she gave birth. Travis, she said, turned around and looked her in the eye. St. James and LaDonna were high school sweethearts in West Covina. He's sitting in the driveway of his childhood home, a sprawling, L-shaped ranch house in West Covina, California, on a sun-drenched day last September. He had learned what foods they eat and what their habits were. The couple had talked about having a large family, maybe as many as five children, and LaDonna had gone for a routine OB-GYN visit. On March 3, 2005, while at the sanctuary on one of their frequent visits with Moe, St. James and LaDonna Davis were attacked by two young male chimpanzees, Buddy and Ollie, who had escaped their enclosures. And doctors have already designed prosthetic fingertips for the three stumps on his left hand, which St. James hopes to be wearing in a matter of months. Moe got drunk and pissed all over her pale yellow dress, which everyone in the room thought was about the funniest thing they'd ever seen. He and LaDonna locked eyes but didn't exchange words. He's just begun talking about something that happened more recently something that happened to Moe. "I just miss him so much. After several months, there hasn't been a single sighting of the chimpanzee. He'll need to have his upper lip surgically reconstructed, then prosthodontists will outfit him with a special set of dentures so he can eat more easily and speak more clearly. He still has no teeth and limited control of his mouth. She, too, was captivated by Moe. ", 24/7 coverage of breaking news and live events. Why he attacked remains a mystery. Nash has been hospitalized. St. James and LaDonna Davis say they rescued the chimp from Africa and then raised him in their California home -- sometimes even eating and sleeping with him. There was one bright day about 1973. Market data provided by Factset. Carruthers followed and shot the second chimp in its head, ending the attack. As Sandra sat within the safe haven of her car, she told the 911 operator her beloved pet had killed her friend. I have to tell you, its one of those stories about the resilience of the human spirit that makes us all take a look a different look at our lives.. Moe stomped his feet and made gagging noises. St. James and LaDonna Davis were visiting their former pet chimp, then 39 year-old Moe, who they had taken from Africa when his mother was killed by a poacher. Moe bit the tip of her finger. The couple filed a due-process suit against the city as they fended off criminal charges once again for harboring a wild animal. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? (See pictures of animals facing extinction.). "I need to rest, Moe. The chimp, a 200-lb animal kept as a house pet, was named "Travis" and had appeared in television commercials when he was younger. June 30, 2008 Moe, a 42-year-old chimpanzee who grew up in suburbia until being forced to live in an animal sanctuary, was believed to be at large in a Southern California forest Monday after escaping his cage. "in a desperate bid to stop him. Authorities removed the chimp and took him to the Animal Haven Ranch near Bakersfield. Guided by her husband, she has taken apart the Franklin over the past three months. The chimp, named Moe, rode to the courthouse shotgun in St. James's jet-black 1932 Ford roadster. His swollen, punctured left foot remains in grim condition. Moe let out a yelp but fell asleep in seconds. Travis the chimp pictured in his enclosure at home Sandy, who had raised the 14-year-old chimp since he was three day old, had already tried to put an end to the attack by stabbing him repeatedly in the back with a butcher's knife. They even meet Officer Frank Chiafari, the cop who intervened that day of the attack. "I'm hoping that wherever Moe is, he's making good choices for himself.". Moe was going mad clapping his hands and hooting happily. [4], Buddy and Ollie attacked St. James simultaneously; one chimp initially attacked St. James's face, the other attacked his foot. A half hour later, holding a yellow angle grinder, I'm smoothing out a section of the gray fender as St. James provides an excruciatingly detailed real-time tutorial: "Okay, turn your thumb toward your nose. And when doctors temporarily woke St. James up for the first time, in May, his first question was: "How's Moe?". [4] In 2003 the animal sanctuary experienced licensing problems, so Moe was transferred to Animal Haven Ranch, near Bakersfield, California. Estelle fell for him immediately. LaDonna is in the kitchen, cleaning up after their dinner of beef stew and vegetables. Stop! St. James rushed to his wife. Kneeling down, he shot him once in the head from close range. The details force them to pause often. Zooming ahead in his motorized wheelchair, he leads me to the driveway, where the wooden frame of a 1923 Franklin is resting on a table. A woman was critically injured in Stamford, Connecticut when she was attacked by a chimp owned by her friend. "We already got a kid," he reassured her. The chimp was mainly her husband's to begin with but after he passed she became the soul caretaker. What happened to St James Davis? A welder who was repairing Moe's cage accidentally left a piece of equipment turned on and gave the chimp an electrical shock, spooking him so intensely that he bolted out of the house. The same animal clamped his teeth onto St. James's nose, biting it off, as the other chimp chewed away at St. James's fingers. [3] The couple brought toys, candy hearts, chocolate milk, and a raspberry-filled sheet cake for the birthday party. Dozens of spectators lined up outside the Citrus municipal courthouse to catch a glimpse of the Davises and their monkey. They also went to Superior Court in Pomona, California to get the city of West Covina to honor their 2002 settlement which required the city to purchase a home for them in Baldwin Park, California so that they could reunite with their chimpanzee Moe. In Travis's case, his owner was forced to call 911, then attack and repeatedly stab him a cherished pet she had reared for years with a butcher knife in a desperate attempt to save her friend. By the time St. James stepped off the plane into the warm air outside Los Angeles International Airport, he was a changed man. Watching from a few feet away, LaDonna is laughing. There was some disfigurement. Officers cordoned off the streets surrounding the Davises' home. WEST COVINA - The former owners of "Moe" the chimp are offering a reward for information leading to the capture and conviction of a woman who stole from them Saturday. Where his fingers had been he had only stumps or simply gaps. A year later, on September 2, 1999, a visitor came to meet Moe. On the day of his disappearance, Moe's enclosure was cleaned as part of the daily routine, he says, and his cage was repaired so quickly because he expected the chimp to be found within hours. The victim suffered extensive injuries, including severe facial mauling and loss of both hands. St. James keeps his head still as she tends to him. Both chimps pounced. The chimpanzee, named Moe, lived with the couple in their California home until 1999. Nash, 56, was disfigured in February when Travis, her friend's 200-pound. Each time weve made corrections based on her abilities, and hes found another way. [4], Two chimpanzees at the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City escaped from their cage and attacked two zoo staff members. Nash's hands were horribly disfigured, but still attached to her wrists.
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