I know this has gotten a ton of press….but…I am obsessed with the story of Travis the Monkey this week.
For starters, I don’t really care what type of pet you have. I am the proud owner of the worlds most cantankerous cat and possibly, the fattest Pug. Seriously. I don’t care. Until…you have a wild animal living in your house and then? I’m probably not going to let my kids come over to play. I might also violate my Golden Rule of no gossip as well.
Just warning you.
At first, when I heard this story, I felt really bad for the woman who owned Travis. She is totally alone, her husband died and her daughter was killed in a car accident. It’s sad no matter how you look at it and I felt for her, even though the monkey literally ripped the face off of her best friend.
But then came the additional stories. The stories of Travis stopping traffic in their town, getting in the car and trying (successfully) to start it, he even tried to drag one woman into a car with him and bit her when she pulled back. He was a monkey…and that is the kind of stuff monkeys, given full reign and a set of car keys, will do.
I had to draw the line when I heard he could do such things as dress himself, feed himself AND DRINK WINE FROM A GLASS WITH A STEM. He was a monkey and no matter how closely related to our DNA they are, if Chardonnay is not for sippy cups, then Pinot is not for primates. Just sayin’.
Add to this he was given Zanax or two before the attack and the fact she BATHED with him, SHARED A BED with him and everything else IDon’tWantToKnow with him, I am at the end of my proverbial rope with this story.
I am so sorry for the losses all the way around on this one and I’d never want to be a part of this story on either side.
But.
I don’t get it. Why on earth do you try to domesticate an animal that is born to be wild?
Do you?
{ 37 comments… read them below or add one }
Nope, don’t get it myself. Very sad story.
Although I do think my beagle is fatter than your pug…
While I did hear about this story, I didn’t actually see any stories on it. Now I’m glad I didn’t.
This story (and others like it) infuriate me. No, chimpanzees are not pets. Tigers are not pets. Giant boa constrictors are not pets. THEY ARE WILD ANIMALS. They will eat you given the chance. And people that keep them in residential neighborhoods put everyone around them in danger.
I feel bad for her, but clearly she is a little on the loopy side…
I honestly didn’t realize it was even legal to have a chimp for a pet like that…
Okay, so here’s a random but true story. When I was in high school there was a girl whose parents had a “pet” bear. Seriously. she had pictures and everything.
Of course, eventually the bear started causing “problems”.
Can you imagine? How rude.
And people wonder why they die dumb deaths.
I’m sitting here reading and my mouth is all hanging open, fly-catching style, and I’m so confused my eyebrows have become conjoined. What the fuck are you talking about? I’m going to go ask the googles about this. Did the monkey get all cracked out on Xanax and go on a killing spree?
“if Chardonnay is not for sippy cups, then Pinot is not for primates”
Best. Line. EVER.
happy friday!
This story burns me up. When I was a wildlife rescue volunteer, we saw situations like this all the time, although to a much lesser extent. Most of our cases were small animals like raccoons and squirrels and an occasional mountain lion. It just burns me up that these idiots take these animals out of their natural environment and then expect to tame them and turn them into family pets! They are wild animals! People will never learn! There’s accountability all the way around for this. The police department was aware she had this animal, and obviously the woman should have known better. Sure, baby chimps are freakin’ adorable but they don’t stay babies!! And when they grow up they have the strength of six grown men! Six! What makes someone think that they can control an animal like that? It’s insane to me. It makes me sick. Wild animals belong in the WILD. Period.
Oh my good Lord. What a horrible story!
It ate her friend’s face!
And the owner is all choked up about the thing dying alone in the house without her? What about her friend who will need to get a facial transplant?
The chimp got the wrong girl.
It’s a sad commentary on the way some people live!
I did not know about the bathing and sleeping arrangements. But, I think that’s normal.
I only heard vague details about this – holy carp! I’m sorry for her troubles as well, but that’s just wrongidy-wrong-wrong.
I hadn’t heard about the whole bathing/sleeping with the monkey thing. This is just not right in oh so many ways.
I’m completely in the dark on this story.
But, I totally would not try to tame a wild animal. That’s why I was glad when the squirrel wanted to be let out back into the wild.
Didn’t anyone tell this woman there’s a recession on?
I wouldn’t waste a good pinot on my kids, let alone a chimp. They just don’t have the palate for it.
“The Mother” said exactly what I was thinking.
Maybe I’m a prude, but any animal that comes from a family that will throw it’s own feces is NOT going near my Reidel.
(Okay, I don’t actually own Reidel…but would love to! Heh. Still, ain’t touchin’ my dixie cups neither.)
Better living with a monkey then with a fake baby doll you pretend is real.
swear. to. god.
This whole thing breaks my heart in so many ways.
So sad.
Say it with me now: Monkeys are animals. They do not belong in your home. They are wild and belong in THEIR home, in the WILD.
People always think they can screw with the system and it’ll all work out the way they want. They’re primates and not life mates.
Sheesh.
Usually, I’m embarrassed when I have to admit that I haven’t heard about a story in the news… But not so much this one. What little I have heard will surely haunt my dreams.
I felt bad for the woman too after hearing about her human family dying but you’re right… it’s just weird to try to domesticate a primate.
The chimp was obviously an enabler. The poor woman should have gone on e-harmony.
They so did it! Yuck!
I hadn’t heard of this story until I read your post, so I did some Googling and caught up on some video, and all I can say is OMG!
This woman’s selfish stupidity caused another person to be permanently maimed and disfigured. I have no sympathy for her.
This eccentric Connecticut woman was obviously a wack-job and sadly someone else had to pay for her lack of judgement. I echo all the sentiment above. Wild animals belong in the…..anyone anyone?….WILD.
Wowsa. Like so many others, I hadn’t seen this story either. But from what you’ve said, sounds like this woman needs to change places with the chimps at the zoo, or at least get her own cage. Too weird. Way too weird.
Stiletto, your post piqued my curiosity so I googled “woman and monkey pet.”
Yikes! She didn’t just give the creature wine. She fed him lobster tails and filet mignon! He brushed her hair. She put him in Old Navy commercials. He drew pictures for her that she’d put on the fridge. It just goes on and on.
Crazy shit man, crazy shit.
It is all a bit weird but they’ve released the 911 tapes and that poor woman was hysterical. She also told the police to bring a gun and shoot the animal, so at least she had the sense to realize that he had to be stopped.
I thought most states had laws about keeping exotic animals in the home?
I wanted to have a monkey when I was 8. Then I went to a zoo and realized they stink and tend to throw their feces so I opted for a black lab. It really is an odd and sad story.
the whole things weirds me out SO MUCH. but OMG they slept together?!?! *barf*
Yeah, I don’t get it either. Dogs and cats are hard enough to control, but monkeys? Leave that shit for Michael Jackson and his looney bin and get yourself a goldfish that can’t maim anyone or get drunk and crash your car.
It is really sad though, that people were hurt. I couldn’t stand knowing that my animal had caused so many problems!
I have a rule of two on this matter. I’m totally cool
with having a friend with a Chimp as a pet. I’m play with butcher knives. I know several people who use Xanax. My rule is simple and clear: only two of these things should be together at any one time. Put all three together you’ve got yourself a crazy situation that, at first glance, is odd, but in the end, is actually very sad indeed.
I am so grossed out by this story I don’t even KNOW where to start. Therefore, I am TRYING not to think about it. damn you.
Nope. Don’t get it.
Of course my husband wants an alpaca…
I also don’t get why there is a picture of a hoochie mama slut in your side bar google ad?
Oops, or is that you?
There is a reason I do not have pets, many reasons…….