Moe a 42 year old chimpanzee is still on the loose after over a week. I suspect he may have been bit by a rattlesnake but we all hope he is still alive.
Jungle Exotics an animal training facility in Devore, California is run by two colleagues of mine and the facility housed Moe until Friday, June 27, 2008–when the chimp escaped.
I haven’t called them because they have their hands full. Animal escapes happen all the time but Jungle Exotics has always been pretty good on the safety issue.
They also take care of their retired animals. When I got back from Europe I actually went to work for them for a while until I decided what I wanted to do after the culture shock of returning to the USA after a year overseas.
Although accounts say Moe the chimp was rescued in the 1960s, it was more likely that he was purchased for a pet.
Poachers often killed (and still kill) mother animals to obtain young primates for the pet trade.
Contrary to belief, primates do not make good pets.
Today, private ownership is illegal and violates the Endangered Species Act unless you meet certain provisions and are under permit.
The general public has a misconception that chimps are amiable animals from images found in movies and television commercials–captive chimpanzees are not like that image–in fact they are highly dangerous.
I wrote about the St James & LaDonna Davis chimp attack incident in 2005–Moe was the chimpanzee the couple was visiting when two other chimpanzees escaped and attacked St James.
The attack was brutal–and it surprised people. Hello! Can you say wild animal? Have you watched any of the chimpanzee footage of them attacking and eating other primates or attacking rivals?
The Washington Post did a story on the Moe Davis history and the attack incident and stated the HSUS estimate of 15,000 chimps as pets. I think that is an exaggerated figure and would like to know how they arrived at it.
The St James saga has been going on for some time and people are wondering about just how much the issues surrounding Moe and the related incidents are costing–such as this post:
You can read more about this at CBS2.
Jungle Exotics is a licensed facility and nearby is another company (Amazing Animal Productions) that faced charges on animal abuse (Animal Legal Defense Fund vs Yost) and was banned from working with chimpanzees as part of the settlement agreement back in 2005.
Speculation around this incident exists as to whether or not Yost was in violation of the settlement agreement.
Despite the fact that Moe was confiscated from the Davises’ West Covina home after he mauled a police officer’s hand and bit off a woman’s fingertip in two 1998 incidents, The UK Sun starts off incorrectly referring to the apes as “monkeys” and states,
Mr Davis’ spokesman Mike McCasland said: “He’s a very personable, sweet, nice chimp.”
but in the same story reports that Jungle Exotics
“…was Moe’s fourth home since authorities removed him from the Davises’ West Covina home after he mauled a police officer’s hand and bit off a woman’s fingertip in two 1998 incidents.”
The quotes come from am Associated Press Release which also appeared in the Los Angeles Times release which actually says,
“He’s a very personable, sweet, nice chimp,” McCasland said. “He’s not going to be aggressive unless he’s provoked.”
Just what will provoke the chimp?
That is hard to determine. Anything could but local animal control did not think Moe would be a imminent threat.
Yikes! Staff must have watched those chimps in the career builder commercials.
Chimps can be highly dangerous. Get a look at St James who lost his nose and a few other things during the chimp attack.
Okay, so maybe because because the chimp disappeared in a fairly rural area and is in forest terrain they think he wouldn’t be a problem–but that is a risky assumption.
When first asked about this I suspected that Moe would turn up at someone’s home and according to this video he first showed up at the caretakers house and then turned up at a remodeling project scaring the workers.
Why authorities were not notified earlier is unknown.
Chimpanzees are omnivores but are known to kill and eat the meat–but a coyote is more likely to have grabbed the neighbor’s chicken as reported in the video. I’d want to know what animal tracks were near the fence before reporting such a thing.
Helicopters have not flushed the chimp and he has not been sighted since he escaped and frightened the workers.
As of today, Moe the chimpanzee has been missing for just over a week. Due to the high numbers of rattlesnakes in the area–it does not look good.
Sightings can be reported to Animal Care and Control at (800) 472-5609.
Read more on the incident:
Los Angeles Times: Moe the chimp part one and Moe the chimp follow up report.
CBS 2 reports Moe the chimp is missing.
Inland Valley Daily Bulletin report on Moe the chimp.
More Animal Attacks & Common Sense
Above: Cranky Cougar–as mountain lion attacks hit the news this week.
Some of you know that I follow a variety of news topics as related to animals. A few years ago I was looking at occupation trends and the risk of animal attacks in that capacity. One guy I knew used to proudly spout off about how dangerous elephant training was when we worked together training elephants at a prominent zoo.
It is an occupational hazard…
Today, I track attacks in general. Last year I tracked pit bull and dog attacks but there were so many I finally stopped doing it.
Just this last week I dumped a list of attacks attributed to dogs that came through on a “pets” search. If you search on Google News under “pit bull attacks” you might be surprised.
My last search gave me over 150 result such as these:
In Michigan a young boy lost his arm in an attack (10 years old), a toddler was injured in Massachusetts, (Uh, why would a parent leave a young child alone with an animal unsupervised anyway?), and then there was the pit bull that ran over to the neighbors in Cincinnati to cause mayhem.
The Cincinnati owner said this, “He ain’t a vicious dog at all,” said Jeffrey Todd, owns Lefty. “He isn’t a mean dog. He’s very friendly. You can ask a lot of people around the neighborhood.”
So, does that mean the incident was everyone’s imagination? Sheesh, these types of “accidents” happen almost every week.
The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) published a special report on dog bites (PDF)
In my experience, dog bites can be attributed to poor socialization, lack of training, irresponsible pet ownership, failure to alter pets, and non-supervision. I have suspected poor genetics in some cases.
As for wild animals attacks, most of the attacking animals are predators but even deer attacks are something people naively dismiss. The Discovery Channel just aired a show that contained stories of some deer attacks from 2005 and 2006.
Today I found this story about the cougar that entered a home in Colorado and grabbed a sleeping pet. Wild animals are getting too habituated to humans–plus we are encroaching into their limited habitats. Just a few weeks ago two other cougars were causing problems in Durango–including one cat that attempted to attack a boy driving a mower–the cat missed.
I’ve heard an interview where one of the lion dog guys (guys that track mountain lions with dogs) mentioned that many of the incidents with mountain lions involve younger animals. I need to find that source…they are probably going out on their own and then getting run out of established territories but humans also provide a lot of resources–like cougar snacks (dog, cats).
Back in bear country, it also seems that there are incidents every week. In Alaska this isn’t anything new. An eighteen-year-old was attacked by a grizzly on his way home late at night in a region known for bears who are currently feeding from a nearby stream.
In another situation a Utah woman went out for an evening stroll while in Alaska and was attacked by a brown bear.
Finally, in Oregon a camper was mauled by a grizzly in a campground.
Brown bear attacks (just for clarity a grizzly IS a brown bear) are pretty well known but what has surprised some people is that black bear attacks have been on the rise since about the mid-1990s. I mentioned this earlier this week so if you have not yet checked it out read this article about the increase in black bear attacks from 2005. (PDF)
Now these are not the only cases that have crossed my desk but I just want to point out that animal attacks are not that uncommon. Only the sensational ones get a lot of attention.
Is there anything you can do to avoid animal attacks?
First, if you are out in the wilderness, adjacent to it, or hear about a predator in the area follow the suggestions put out by authorities–and find out if there is risk in the area you are visiting.
It amazes me how many people are surprised to find a bear or other animals in their yard when they feed wildlife, keep pet food and water sources just outside their doors, or place trash outside a day before pickup.
Also, be aware that most animals are highly active at dawn or dusk and at night. So a bit of common sense to avoid meandering into their territories at those times might help.
Now there is always the bad luck factor–being in the wrong place at the wrong time but using common sense and taking precautions helps mitigate that.
Take this poor example of the
idiothiker who lacked common sense and took liberties by petting a cougar cub and then gotattackedscratched by a mad mother lion. I hope that human’s stupidity won’t cost the female cougar her life–but I bet it will.Then there was the woman who used her common sense and a machete to thwart off a lion attack.
I’ve already posted some of the tiger attack and bear attack links to my comments earlier this week but you can find my past comments on how to avoid cougar attacks here.
Also, you might enjoy the SkinnyMoose.com comments on wildlife encounters–I sure did.
Funny, I didn’t really intend to focus on animal attacks all week but now that I am at it–stay tuned for more.