Britt Jones
A woman who was left fighting for her life after having her 'face ripped off' by her friend's pet chimp has opened up about the horrifying sound she heard during the attack.
Charla Nash was a frequent visitor to her friend Sandra Herold’s home in Connecticut and became close to her pet chimp, Travis.
The chimp, which was a local celebrity in the area, was friendly with Nash, however, his behavior was becoming increasing erratic over time.
It was on 16 February 2009 that Nash would become the first and last victim of Travis, as his behavior escalated.
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It began when Nash visited Herold, like usual. Nothing was different about this situation, except the fact that the woman had recently changed her hair.
Travis, being cheeky, stole his owner's car keys and left the home to go outside when Nash attempted to lure him back with the aid of one of the chimp’s toy.
While Travis recognized his doll, it is believed that he became confused by Nash’s new hair and attacked her outside the home.
Herold, stumbling in on the scene, made a frantic call to 911, where Travis’ screeches could be heard in the background as he mauled her friend.
During the horrid attack, Nash was left with broken bones in her face, as Travis had torn her eyelids, nose, jaw, lips and most of her scalp.
He left her blind and had also removed one of her hands from her body.
While Travis was ripping apart her face, she later described just what she could hear to 60 Minutes Australia.
Nash recalled: “The thing I heard the most was, it kept screaming; Screaming, screaming and screaming.”
During the attack, in an attempt to get the animal to stop, Herold hit him with a shovel and later stabbed him in the back with a large knife.
However, nothing could tear him from Nash’s face as he began to eat her.
Minutes later, police arrived at the scene, but Travis opened an unlocked door on one of their cars as he came at them, covered in blood.
That’s when officer Frank Chiafari opened fire and shot Travis multiple times, forcing the chimp back into his cage where he died.
Even though Nash’s body was still on the ground, she did not die during the attack.
But she did require hours of surgery to reattach her jaw, before she then flew to Ohio for an experimental facial transplant.
As for why this beloved pet turned on her, a toxicology report determined the chimpanzee had been given Xanax on the day of the attack and his owner speculated that this may have fuelled the attack.
Travis’ mauling of Nash sparked widespread anger, and a conversation about keeping wild animals as pets.