Harrowing three words in emergency call as pet chimp ripped off woman's face

Daily Mirror

27-05-2025

Travis the chimp was a beloved member of the Herold family in Connecticut, USA, after he was adopted by Sandra and Jerome when he was just three days old - but in 2009 he savagely attacked family friend Charla Nash
In a chilling emergency call a woman can be heard frantically shouting "he's eating her!" as her beloved pet chimpanzee violently attacked a friend. Travis the chimp had been a treasured part of the Herold family in Connecticut, the US, since Sandra and Jerome adopted him at just three days old. His mother had been shot trying to escape from the Missouri Chimpanzee Sanctuary in 2001.
Named after Sandra's favourite singer, Travis Titt, the orphaned chimp became an integral part of their lives, helping with household tasks, watching TV, dining at the table, and occasionally sipping wine or enjoying an ice cream.
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Travis turned into Sandra's sole companion following Jerome's death from cancer in 2004. However, their world was shattered when family friend Charla Nash, aged 55, came over in February 2009, provoking a horrifying outburst from Travis.
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Despite Sandra's desperate attempts to halt the attack using a shovel and a knife, Travis's aggression was relentless. The harrowing scene unfolded in a lengthy 911 call, where Sandra can be heard screaming about the horrifying incident.
During the traumatic 12-minute emergency call, Sandra begged for help, urging the police to shoot the 14-year-old chimp she had nurtured like her child. Amidst the turmoil and Travis's rabid cries, the operator enquired, "Tell me, what is the monkey doing?", while Sandra desperately sought to save her friend from the brutal mauling, reports the Mirror US.
"He ripped her apart! Hurry up! Hurry up! Please!" she screamed in utter desperation. "He-he ripped her face off! He's eating her face!".
Sandra, frantic and terrified, begged for him to be shot, pleading, "Gun! They got to shoot him! Please! Please! Hurry! Hurry! Please! I can't. I can't... He's eating her! He's eating her! Please! God! Please! Where are they? Where are they?", as detailed by the Irish Star.
The police eventually arrived at the blood-soaked Stamford home, where officer Frank Chiafari immediately put an end to the horror by fatally shooting Travis, the chimpanzee. Against all odds, Charla survived the gruesome attack but was left with horrific, life-altering injuries.
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Her face had been savagely mutilated, her jaw detached from her skull, causing severe brain trauma, hands ripped from her arms, and eyelids torn away.
The community was baffled as to why Travis, a chimp who had achieved local fame for his habits like enjoying lobster dinners, having a pet cat, and riding on his lawnmower, showed such extreme violence on that tragic day.
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Sandra revealed that she had administered a hefty dose of Xanax in Travis' tea that morning, observing his 'agitated' mood. She speculated that a potential trigger could have been Charla's different hairstyle that day, which may have made her unrecognisable to the agitated chimp.
In the critical three days post-attack, Charla Nash faced more than seven hours of surgery conducted by four surgical teams due to her grave injuries; such was the extremity of her situation that staff involved in her care were offered counselling.
Charla's ordeal saw her lose over half the blood in her body, necessitating a face transplant to save her life. She later experienced the rejection of a pioneering hand transplant attempt.
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Despite her survival, Charla lost her ability to see and is now destined to spend her remaining years in a care facility. Prior to her face transplant, she shared her past joys with Oprah Winfrey.
Looking back at her circumstances, Charla said: "I've never been a quitter. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot I can do."
She mourns her loss of self-sufficiency, saying: "I've lost so much independence. I could change my own truck tyre, and now I can't even feed myself."
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The incident has triggered demands for a revision of policies concerning the keeping of wild animals as pets. In 2004, Connecticut had already instated a law against housing large chimpanzees like Travis with humans – passed following an earlier distressing episode when he broke loose from Sandra's vehicle and caused chaos.
Nonetheless, Travis had a special dispensation as he had been taken in before the regulation was enacted.
Officer Chiafari initially struggled to receive therapy for his depression and anxiety following the attack. This resulted in proposed legislation in 2010 that would ensure a police officer's compensation for mental or emotional impairment after using justifiable deadly force to kill an animal.