Should Chimp Owner Be Charged?

Sandra Herold, the owner of Travis the chimp who mauled her good friend Charla Nash, has thus far avoided legal problems resulting from the tragic incident.  As Nash’s condition becomes more clear, should Herold have any legal exposure?

[Nash] lost her nose, upper and lower lips, eyelids and both hands and sustained significant traumatic brain injury, according to a statement issued [Wednesday] by the Cleveland Clinic, where she is being treated.

[She] also suffered extensive soft tissue injuries to her face, lost the bony structures in her mid-face and sustained eye injuries that threaten her vision, according to the clinic.

Many of Nash’s wounds have been stabilized, but the clinic said Wednesday that “critical issues still remain” related to the brain and eye injuries.

Nash is still in critical condition, and doctors aren’t it’s unclear what the full extent of the injuries are, and what the time frame is for recovery. In addition to the injuries listed above, she it is reported that she may be blind and suffering from brain damage.

Meanwhile, the chimp’s owner is outraged by how the media has portrayed their relationship, saying she didn’t need the chimp for sex, but that, “he was my life.  Everyone knows that I cooked for him, I slept with him. He was just everything, all I had.”

Legal experts [say] Herold is vulnerable to a costly civil lawsuit, and that the state could also have legal problems for not taking action earlier.

Attorney William Palmieri, who has handled an animal neglect case, said the case makes “a helluva lawsuit against the owner.”

By: Alan

Alan Colmes is the publisher of Liberaland.