Morning:
8°c
Unveiled ... the woman whose face was ripped off by a chimp
Ed Harris12 Nov 2009
The woman who lost her face when she was mauled by a chimpanzee has bravely revealed her horrific injuries.
Charla Nash had most of her face torn off during the frenzied attack by her neighbour's pet chimp in America eight months ago. The 56-year-old, who has a 17-year-old daughter, was left with no eyes, mouth, eyelids and nose after the attack in Stamford, Connecticut.
She also lost all her fingers when they were chewed off by the animal. Ms Nash was left nearly dead when her close friend's house-trained ape, Travis, brutally mauled her after escaping from the home in which he had been raised as a pet.
Travis's owner, Sandy Herold, used a butcher's knife to stab the 14-year-old chimp - which was suffering from the severe flu-like symptoms of Lyme disease and had been treated with the drug Xanax - in a desperate bid to save her friend. The attack ended only when police shot the animal dead.
Paramedics at the scene said it looked as if Ms Nash's hands had been through a "meat grinder".
The victim broke her silence and removed her veil that hides her face for the first time during an interview on The Oprah Winfrey show in the US.
She told Winfrey that she had agreed to let her face be shown to the world for the first time after being told there was a "bounty" on her picture from tabloid newspapers.
Speaking about the attack, Ms Nash said: "I don't want to remember, because I couldn't imagine what it was like. I want to get healthy. I don't want to wake up with nightmares. I don't ask a whole lot about my injuries and I know that I have my forehead."
Ms Nash said when she woke up in hospital, she had no idea just how serious her injuries were. She said she only realised she had no eyes when a doctor accidentally told her.
She added: "I do remember I kept saying, 'Well, one of these days I'm going to see'. And then the doctors said, 'No, you're never going to see again', and I'm like, well, I don't know. They don't know what they're talking about.
"But the eye doctor came in a couple weeks ago and said that it's a shame they had to remove my eyes, and that's when I really knew."
Since the attack Ms Nash has been recovering at the Cleveland Hospital in Ohio where America's first full face transplant was carried out.
She said she was hoping to be evaluated for a transplant for her face and hand, which would come from the same donor."
Ms Nash said her biggest regret was not being able to spend more time with her daughter. Her family is suing Sandra Herold for more than $28million (£16million).
Reader views (13)
Wearing a dead women`s Face makes me puke ,They thought Frankenstein was Man God help us ,People will be selling there faces coz plastic surgery is a Joke ,we are Spirit that`s whom we truly are, society has made what they think is attractive and what is offensive to us weak humans duh ,stop the planet I want off ,Face off right enough
- Mary C C Ware, Scotland, 30/10/2011 09:15
Report abuse
Over 30 years ago I had heard that keeping primates (all kinds of 'monkeys') as pets was dangerous as they got violent - cant remember why) - and anyway WHY would anyone want to keep one as a 'pet'. I feel so sorry for this lady and I think that the newspapers are nothing short of vermin to put a 'bounty' on her photograph. Is there no decency in this world ...... I suppose I know the answer to that..
- Bj, sydney Australia, 13/11/2009 08:44
Report abuse
god bless her soul, she is very brave..
- Alicia, New york, USA, 13/11/2009 05:19
Report abuse
All - quit ragging about where this happened and think about what happened. Wild animals are NEVER MEANT TO BE PETS!!! I don't give a damn how "cute" you think they might be. this woman's courage is truly inspiring. Makes me realize what a coward I truly am.
- Mary, Pittsburgh, USA, 13/11/2009 01:08
Report abuse
This is rediculous.. How on God's green Earth can a zoo keeper allow someone to have a Chimp/Ape as a pet.. After it gets a certain age and it weighs a certain amount of pounds its time to get rid of it.. I feel sorry for this poor woman and my deepest sympathy goes out to her and her family.. I hope they get their money and the neighbor goes to JAIL.. She is TRUELY BLESSED to have survived a bruital attack like that.. May GOD BLESS her and her family..
- Haneefah, Chicago, IL, 12/11/2009 20:53
Report abuse
Daniel meant 'Westerners'. A slip in generalisations, nothing more. The rest of his comments were sound in basis. But it's not always as straightforward as 'Wild'/'Not Wild' is it? Many creatures are 'saved' from the horrors of already-tainted situations (zoos being an eg.) by well-meaning folks, only to show their real behaviour like this poor, bright creature did. Other creatures benefit muchly. Same goes in the human world though, which is why we all argue about things like whether Angie J should adopt yet another child/whose 'void' in her case is being filled. I don't think anybody won in this particular situation - although we could all benefit a lot by learning from the lack of vanity shown by the lady who was attacked.
- Mel, London Zoo, 12/11/2009 19:38
Report abuse
Daniel, London:
"When will Europeans learn..."
I don't know if you read the article, but this happened in er....North America.
- Mark H, London, England, 12/11/2009 16:12
Report abuse
"When will Europeans learn animals are meant to live free in the wild??"
I think someone hasn't read the article properly....
- George, London, 12/11/2009 16:01
Report abuse
'Ms Nash was left nearly dead when her close friend's house-trained ape, Travis, brutally mauled her'
what's wrong with this sentence?
Daniel, I didn't know Connecticut was in Europe. Has there been some sort of seismic activity or are you just hopelessly stupid.
- Piqued, London, 12/11/2009 15:58
Report abuse
When will Europeans learn animals are meant to live free in the wild?? That is why they are called wild animals.
They are not accessories here to fill the emotional void in their absurd lives.
- Daniel, London, 12/11/2009 14:00
Report abuse
This is the stuff nightmares are made of.
- John, London, 12/11/2009 13:53
Report abuse
"there was a "bounty" on her picture from tabloid newspapers."
This is perhaps the most outrageous aspect of this whole sad story. How low can newspaper owners/editors get?
- Chris, London, 12/11/2009 13:12
Report abuse
There are more tigers in captivity as household pets in America than are free in the wild. It is very sad that this lady has had her life destroyed by the arrogance and stupidity of her neighbour who thinks it sensible to keep a diseased wild animal with the strength of ten men in a cage in her garden.
- Squiz, Islington, 12/11/2009 12:10
Report abuse
