FOXSYLVANIA

—Travis the Chimpanzee was 15 years old and weighed 200 lbs.; an animal celebrity, he had appeared in commercials for Coca-Cola and Old Navy. Travis had a stunning repertoire of human-like behaviors; he used the toilet, rode in cars, ate at the table, drank wine from long-stemmed glasses, used a TV remote to channel-surf, and even used a mouse to view pictures on the computer!

Unfortunately, Travis lost it big time this past Monday, brutally mauling a  friend of his Connecticut owner and leaving her with life-changing injuries to her face and hands. In a desperate effort to stop the attack, his owner stabbed him repeatedly with a kitchen knife and hit him with a shovel, but police ultimately had to shoot the animal dead.

While the reason for the attack may never be known, Travis was reported to have suffered from Lyme disease and had been given Xanax by his owner in light of unsettled behavior, and his aggressive behavior may have been a medication reaction.  The woman attacked had also changed her hair style and may not have been recognized by the chimp, triggering territorial instincts. Chimpanzees are wild animals, and are aggressive in their natural state despite their cutesy portrayal on television…