Ollie & Buddy Chimp Attack

St. James was left severely disfigured after two chimps escaped their enclosure and attacked him one day in 2005

Charla Nash always felt comfortable around Travis The Chimp, her best friend’s pet chimpanzee. The chimp always showed a playful and friendly demeanor, never acting aggressively toward her. Travis snapped one day, reminding us why keeping wild animals as pets can be dangerous. Travis ripped off Charla’s face, nearly killing her before authorities shot the wild animal and ended the attack. This well-known story captured the world’s attention but certainly is not an isolated incident. In fact, just four years before, St. James Davis, an animal lover and chimp owner, nearly died at the hands of two chimps.

St. James Disfigured in Chimpanzee Attack

In 2005, two chimps escaped from their enclosure at a California wildlife rescue center where St. James and his wife LaDonna kept their pet chimpanzee, Moe. The chimps launched a simultaneous attack against Davis, ripping off his nose and mouth, part of his lip, gouging out an eye, mangling his left foot, ingesting his fingers and buttocks, and destroying both of his testicles. LaDonna lost a thumb in the attack.

“I remember every bite, one at a time. I remember when I went to touch my face, my fingers looked really scary,” Davis told the Daily News.