Chimps rip mans face off

Chimps shot after biting off man's face
March 4, 2005 - 4:05PM
http://www.smh.com.au/news/World/Chimps-shot-after-biting-off-mans-face/2005/03/04/1109700666456.html

Four chimpanzees broke out of their cages at a Californian animal sanctuary and savagely attacked two visitors - biting off the nose and much of the face of one.
Zoo workers shot and killed two of the powerful animals after today's attack in Caliente.
The couple had been visiting another chimpanzee that had once been their pet.
KGET-TV of Bakersfield said the man and woman were at the Animal Haven Ranch to celebrate the birthday of Moe, which was not involved in today's attack.
After the couple arrived with a cake, two other chimpanzees - named Buddy and Ollie - went for the visitors.
Dr Maureen Martin, of Kern Medical Centre, said the apes had chewed most of the man's face off and that he would require extensive surgery in an attempt to reattach his nose.
LaDonna Davis suffered a bite wound to the hand.
Buddy and Ollie were shot and killed. Two other chimps which had also escaped were recaptured - one was cornered three kilometres from the sanctuary, 137kms north of downtown Los Angeles.
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Recently, the couple waged an unsuccessful legal fight to bring Moe back to their home. They brought the chimp from Africa decades ago after a poacher killed his mother.
But authorities took Moe from them in 1999 after it bit off part of a women's finger.
Chimpanzees can turn surly if not handled properly, said Martine Colette, animal director of another shelter, the Wildlife WayStation.
"Chimps are notoriously strong and they have some very, very specific behaviours," Colette said. "If someone tries to confine them, they will definitely put up a fight."
"An average person who doesn't know chimp body language can't read them," she said.
AP