Chimp Attack Victim Shows Face On Oprah

The incident occurred in February in Stamford, CT, when Charla Nash, then 55, was asked by her then-friend and employer, Sandra Herold, 70, to help lured Travis the Chimp, 14 (pictured), back to her house. The chimpanzee attacked her, ripping off Nash's hands, nose, lips and eyelids.

Police were forced to shoot the chimp when after the owner, unable to stop the attack, dialed 911. Travis the chimpanzee eventually died of his wounds. Travis the chimp was more than a pet; he had been used in commercials and appeared on TV, yet he attacked without warning.

On Oprah Winfrey's show, Charla Nash revealed her face for the first time since the incident. Essentially, what she revealed were the remnants of her missing eyes, nose and lips.

Two weeks ago, Nash learned she would be forever blind when an eye doctor told Nash she no longer had eyes. In fact, Nash said she doesn't ask questions about her injuries, preferring not to know.

Charla Nash's family has filed a $50 million lawsuit against Herold. The claim states that Herold was negligent and reckless for lacking the ability to control "a wild animal with violent propensities." Meanwhile, Herold's attorney has argued the attack was work-related and the case should be treated as a workers' compensation claim.

While Nash was employed by Herold, that was for her firm, Desire Me Motors, the towing company Herold ran out of her home. Nash told Oprah that taking care of Travis was not part of her job and that she had been frightened of the animal.

Also, earlier this month, Charla Nash's family filed notice with Connecticut's Office of Claims Commissioner, asking permission to sue the state for $150 million. Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has said his office is reviewing the claim, which asserts that state officials failed to prevent the attack.

The incident points out the risks of owning what is essentially a wild animal as a pet. At the time of the attack on Charla Nash, Animal Planet host Jeff Corwin told CNN:

"It's often said that an adult chimpanzee weighing in at 150 pounds is three to seven times stronger than a human being.

"The thing about chimpanzees is, we sort of look at them through our rose-colored cultural glasses of the cute little chimp in the 'Tarzan' movie. Those are very young chimps. Chimps grow up, they become very powerful. They are very complex in their behavior. They have a whole range of emotions, including violence and anger."

You can listen to the 911 call of the incident and read a transcript here.

Written by Michael Santo
Exclusively for HULIQ.com