STAMFORD, CONN. - Travis the chimpanzee's relationship with his owner was unusual. Sandra Herold gave him the finest food and wine in long-stemmed glasses. They took baths together and cuddled in the bed they shared. Travis brushed the widow's hair each night. If she left the house alone, Travis would give her a kiss. "If I left with someone Travis would get upset," Herold said Wednesday.
Experts say the relationship would have been confusing for any animal and may have played a role in Travis' savage attack Monday on Charla Nash, 55, a friend of Herold's.
"This is a crazy relationship," said Stephen Rene Tello, executive director of Primarily Primates, a sanctuary for chimps in Texas. "He was probably very bonded with her. I can kind of see it in his eyes this is his surrogate mother."
Chimps like 14-year-old Travis, who was shot and killed by police, protect their mates and turf. "If there is another person entering his space, he might consider it a threat to his territory, or even his mate," Tello said.
Police say Travis attacked Nash when she arrived at the house to help lure the chimp back into Herold's house. Herold speculated that Travis was being protective of her and attacked Nash because she had a new hairstyle, was driving a different car and held a stuffed toy in front of her face to get the chimp's attention.
Nash suffered massive injuries to her face and hands, requiring more than seven hours of surgery by four teams of doctors to stabilize her. She was transferred in critical condition Thursday to the Cleveland Clinic, which two months ago performed the nation's first successful face transplant. Officials said that Nash is being treated for her injuries and that it's unknown if she will be a candidate for a face transplant.
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