For years, Charla Nash and Sandra Herold had been close friends. Nash regularly visited Herold at her home in Stamford, Connecticut, and she was familiar with Travis, Herold’s 14 year old chimpanzee.
On February 16, 2009, Nash arrived at the house expecting another ordinary visit. Instead, she walked into one of the most horrific animal attacks ever reported in Connecticut.
Travis suddenly charged at her.
The powerful chimpanzee knocked Nash to the ground and began violently attacking her. Within moments, the situation had become impossible for anyone nearby to control. Travis severely injured Nash’s face and tore away both of her hands during the assault.
Herold desperately tried to stop the animal.
She grabbed a large knife and attacked Travis repeatedly, hoping the blows would force him to release Nash. But even after being seriously wounded, the chimpanzee continued attacking.
Nash was trapped beneath the animal while suffering catastrophic injuries.
Herold eventually managed to call emergency services. The 911 operator could hear the chaos and Travis’s screams in the background. Police were immediately dispatched to the house, but nobody knew what they would find when they arrived.
When officers reached the property, Travis suddenly moved toward a police vehicle. The chimpanzee pulled open the door and exposed his blood covered teeth. An officer recognized the immediate danger and fired his weapon, killing Travis at the scene.
The entire attack had lasted approximately 12 minutes.
By the time it ended, Nash had suffered devastating injuries. She had lost both hands and sustained catastrophic damage to her face and eyes. She was left blind and faced a long road of surgeries and rehabilitation.
Doctors eventually performed numerous reconstructive procedures in an attempt to restore some of the damage caused by the attack. Nash later underwent a face transplant, one of the most complex procedures available in reconstructive medicine.
But she survived.
The question of why Travis suddenly attacked Nash became the subject of considerable discussion. Herold had reportedly given the chimpanzee Xanax earlier that day, and he was also receiving medication related to Lyme disease. Nash had also changed her hairstyle, which some reports suggested may have contributed to Travis reacting differently toward her.
However, the exact reason for the attack could never be established with certainty. Travis was not an ordinary household pet. Chimpanzees may look familiar because of their close relationship to humans, but they possess extraordinary strength, powerful jaws and physical abilities that can make an attack devastating.
The tragedy also raised serious questions about keeping powerful wild animals in private homes.
Travis had lived with Herold for many years and was reportedly treated as part of the family. But on that February afternoon, the relationship between a human and a powerful wild animal ended in a matter of minutes.
Nash’s life was permanently changed. She lost her hands, her eyesight and much of her facial features, yet she survived an attack that could easily have been fatal.
Her story remains a chilling reminder that even an animal raised around people for years can become dangerously unpredictable.
