Chimp Owner Comments On Vicious Attack

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - The owner of a 200-pound chimpanzee that
viciously mauled a Stamford woman calls the incident "a freak
thing," but says her pet was not a "horrible" animal.
Sandra Herold told NBC's "Today Show" in an interview aired
Wednesday that Travis, her 14-year-old chimpanzee, was like a son
to her.
Police shot and killed the animal after it attacked Herold's
friend, 55-year-old Charla Nash. Nash remained hospitalized in
critical condition early Wednesday with major injuries to her face
and hands.
Herold tried to save her friend by stabbing the chimp with a
butcher knife and bludgeoning it with a shovel.
She says she "did what I had to do," but that she will miss
Travis for the rest of her life.

(Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)