![]() ![]() In 2003, a man threw rubbish at Travis while the chimpanzee was in the Herolds' car, which caused Travis to undo his seatbelt and chase after the man. Only one incident marred an otherwise unblemished record when it came to Travis. They did everything together even bathing and sleeping in the same bed. But after her daughter, Sue, died in a car accident in 2000, followed by Jerome's death just four years later from cancer, Sandra drew all her comfort from Travis. Those were the happiest years of Sandra's life. The Herolds would take him everywhere, even to work, and people near and far would stop to take pictures with him, touch him, and talk about him. The chimpanzee became a bit of a celebrity in his hometown of Stamford, Connecticut. He knew how to log onto the computer and, remarkably, knew how to drive as well.īeing so clever, friendly, and socialised, Travis also appeared in a number of television shows like The Maury Povich Show and The Man Show, and in advertisements, including several spots for Coca-Cola. He reportedly drank wine and loved ice-cream. He play-wrestled with the family, ate with them, brushed his teeth, dressed himself, watched TV, and opened doors. Raised by humans, Travis likely thought he was a human too. They named him Travis after Sandra's favourite singer, Travis Tritt, and they treated the young chimpanzee as though he was one of their children (the Herolds also had a daughter). ![]() Travis was sold for $50,000 to married couple Jerome and Sandra Herold. Later, in 2001, Suzy was shot and killed trying to escape the sanctuary. Known for their close-knit sense of community and family, this would have been very distressing for the young primate and his mother. Travis the chimpanzee had a traumatic start to life - and sadly, that was the way his life ended too.īorn in a chimpanzee sanctuary on October 21, 1995, Travis was taken from his mother, Suzy, when he was just three days old. ![]()
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