Kriti Mehrotra
It was February 16, 2009, when Charla Nash’s entire world turned upside down as she was attacked by the pet chimpanzee of one of her closest friends almost to the point of no return. The truth is, as explored in HBO’s ‘Chimp Crazy,’ this primate named Travis was actually very familiar with the then-55-year-old, but it just didn’t seem to matter that day as he mauled her.
Charla Nash Was Involved With Animals at Every Stage of Life
As the proud daughter of an Air Force veteran and an ambitious mother, Charla understood the importance of fulfillment and independence at a very young age and focused on them in life. In fact, by the time she was in her mid-50s and residing in Stamford, Connecticut, she had barrel raced on the rodeo circuit for about two decades, done a bit of horse jumping, served on a farm, as well as manned a computer help desk. Therefore, she was more than content to work as a dispatcher for a towing company by the time 2009 rolled around, especially as it gave her enough free time to have a social life and engage with loved ones in the way she desired.
Therefore, when she got a call from one of her friends and employer, Sandra “Sandy” Herold, on February 16, 2009, asking her to come over as Travis seemed uncharacteristically agitated, she agreed. Since this unwavering animal lover had been hanging out with the chimp frequently over the past few years, she knew firsthand he loved Elmo and thus decided to take a Tickle Me Elmo toy to him. Her plan was to calm him down enough so that Sandy could keep up her plans for the day before spending more time with him, unaware he’d attack her in a fit of rage the moment he saw her.
Charla Nash Endured Some Horrific Injuries
According to reports, Travis’ attack on Charla was nothing short of brutal as he mauled her face, attacked her arms as she tried to defend herself, and then apparently tried to eat off her flesh too. Sandy, who was right there as the attack began, actually tried to stab the chimp she considered her son because of how he was hurting her friend before finding a safe space herself and calling 911. The officials managed to shoot him a total of four times, following which he stopped his erratic behavior and immediately retreated back into the home, where he was found dead next to his cage.
Charla unfortunately suffered several broken bones and lost her nose, lips, eyelids, as well as both her hands in the attack, only to then go permanently blind from an infection spread by the chimp. Nevertheless, she never gave up fighting for herself – instead, she healed enough to be able to talk about her ordeal to the media before deciding to focus on healing from the mental plus physical trauma. Little did she know the US military itself would soon get in touch with her and offer to pay for her cosmetic surgeries in the hope that some of the things it learns through the process can help the disfigured soldiers returning from war.
Charla Nash Prefers to Lead a Quiet Life These Days
While Charla hasn’t spoken up about her ordeal or stepped into the limelight in the last eight years, we do know she had a failed hand transplant as well as a successful face transplant. According to the last reports, this once-Connecticut resident had relocated to Boston, Massachusetts, to be closer to the Brigham and Women’s Hospital, where she was being treated, and was gradually getting back to leading an independent life. While she often felt like a science project owing to the fact she had to undergo lab tests for the military every six weeks, she also felt good about regaining her independence.
After all, Charla had found herself a small yet cozy apartment near the hospital, where she had the help of an aide only on the weekdays – she was set on managing on her own over the weekends. As if that’s not enough, per the last records, she even went to the gym a couple of days a week to exercise with a trainer so as to rebuild her strength and stay as healthy as possible. While Charla has chosen not to speak about her ordeal or any of these aspects over the past few years, it is likely that this now 70-year-old is continuing down this path to lead her best life.
Read More: Connie Casey: Where is the Chimp Mom Now?
