Today, some chimps escaped from a house in the northwest part of the Las Vegas Valley and 1 chimp was killed and another tranquilized and returned to it's owner.
From the LVRJ: Las Vegas police shot and killed a chimpanzee and captured another after they escaped this morning in the northwest valley.
Police received a call at about 10:15 a.m. Thursday that two
dangerous and agitated chimpanzees were on the loose, having escaped
from their enclosure at a residence on the 5700 block of Rowland Avenue,
near Jones Boulevard and Ann Road.
Neighbors reported to police that the chimps were acting aggressively
and climbing onto and beating on vehicles, including a police patrol
car, Officer Marcus Martin said.
The chimpanzees, named Buddy and C.J., belonged to Nikki Grusenmeyer,
formerly Nikki Riddell, a longtime exotic animal owner and trainer in
Las Vegas who had owned the chimps since the early 2000s....
Police initially gave the owners and other trainers space to corral
the chimpanzees back into their enclosure, Officer Martin said.
But about 30 minutes into the incident, Buddy, the male chimp,
started running across Ann Road toward Rock Creek Lane, where Martin
said residents were watching the scene unfold. That's when an officer
shot and killed the chimp.
That officer's decision to shoot was to protect civilians behind him,
he said, recalling a 2009 incident in Connecticut where a chimpanzee
mauled its owner's friend.
"The officer is the last line of defense on the perimeter," Martin said.
About an hour and two tranquilizers after Buddy was killed, C.J., the
female, was finally back safe in a different enclosure at the property.
Clark County officials inspected that cage to prevent another escape.
http://www.lvrj.com/news/las-vegas-police-search-for-two-dangerous-chimpanzees-162236155.html
I don't blame the cops for shooting the chimp, though I have some questions:
1. How long did it take for animal control to get to the scene? If they were dispatched right away, they could have been at the scene within 20 minutes or less from their location at Mojave and Pecos.
2. How did the chimps escape? Equipment failure or human error?
3. How long did it take to get the tranquilizer gun to the scene? Again, it should not take more than 20-30 minutes after the first cop was on the scene.
4. How much effort was made by the police to keep the crowd back?
I don't have a problem with the cops bringing the surviving chimp back to the owners. Las Vegas does not have a zoo, so, where else do you take the chimp? I have to trust the cops and animal control that they put the chimp in the right place.
Of course, the question is it proper to have a chimp as a pet? I think if it is done properly, the chimp can live a happy life. If the owner just owns a chimp just because they can and do it as a status symbol, then no, they can't own one. Just as there are good and bad owners, there are also good and bad exotic animal owners.
So, yes, it is sad that a chimp died, but it would have even been worse if, while the animal was out, it hurt or killed someone.
Random Riddle: The Same Pair
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