My son has loved chimps since he was a child': Mother speaks out as American student fights for life after two apes drag him more than a mile in horror attack
My son has loved chimps since he was a child': Mother speaks out as American student fights for life after two apes drag him more than a mile in horror attack
Andrew Oberle was studying chimp behaviour at the Goodall Institute in South Africa. According to reports, Oberle bypassed two safety fences to get close enough to the chimps, and they attacked him. He was left fighting for his life after being bitten and dragged for half a mile. His parents asked the hospital not to disclose the extent of their son’s injuries, but reports have leaked saying that the victim lost his fingers and toes, and his arms were exposed to the bone. The attack was blamed on Oberle’s human error.
A University of Texas graduate student was left fighting for his life on Thursday after two chimpanzees pounced on him at the South African reserve where he was studying their behaviour, dragging him along the ground for more than a mile.
The mother of 26-year-old Andrew Oberle said that her son had been passionate about chimps since watching a documentary about famous naturalist Jane Goodall in seventh grade.
Mary Flint added that her son knew the risks involved in working with apes, and said that the attack would probably not stop him carrying out further research.
In a case that mirrors that of Charla Nash, a Connecticut woman, who in 2009 had her face ripped off by a 200-pound chimp, Mr Oberle suffered a ‘frenzied’ attack, in which he was bitten multiple times.
The beasts, named Mickey and Amadeus, grabbed him by his feet and yanked him down the road, under a fence and into their enclosure at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimp Eden near Nelspruit, South Africa, where paramedics were forced to wait for armed escorts before they could go in and treat him.
Mr Oberle, an American researcher, was giving tourists a lecture at the sanctuary as part of his master's degree in Anthropology and Primatology, based at the University of Texas at San Antonio.
He had crossed the first of two fences separating the chimpanzees from visitors and was standing close to the second fence, which is electrified, when the attack began.
The tourists were escorted to safety by staff members as the chimpanzees dragged Mr Oberle out of their enclosure. The sanctuary's director fired shots into the air to scare the chimps away from the man, before chasing the animals back into their enclosure.
Medics stabilised the graduate at the scene and he was taken by ambulance to a private hospital in Nelspruit. Beeld reported that he lost part of an ear and parts of his fingers.
'When we found him, he was in a foetal position underneath a lapa (a roofed, open-walled structure) with massive injuries, lacerations, abrasions, partial amputation from his head to toe,' Lloyd Krause, ER24 emergency service spokesman told the Herald Sun.
'He lost an ear, he lost a number of fingers and toes, he's got very deep wounds, he's got total removal of skin and muscle off his one leg and his one arm, fractures all over the place.'
On Oberle's Facebook page he is listed as being from Saint Louis, Missouri. He now lives in San Antonio, Texas, but has been in South Africa since May.
He recently posted photographs of the chimps he was working with on the website, tagged with comments such as 'so cute' beside a picture of two of them sleeping.
Another portrays a wide-mouthed chimp named Cozy, who suffered brain damage after being abused prior to his rescue. Oberle describes the primate as 'still the best', adding: 'Cozy may hit people in the head with rocks but it's not his fault'.
One of Cozy's victims, Stacey Johns, is also pictured in the album with blood pouring from a wound in her head.
Oberle, apparently fascinated by the primates, was experimenting with different food types and on Monday wrote that they enjoyed an offering of oatmeal. Last Saturday he wrote that 'mustard was a big hit'.
The sanctuary opened six years ago and is home to rescued chimpanzees, many of which suffered horrific abuse, hunted for their meat or used in the entertainment industry or at roadside zoos.
One adult male arrived almost completely shaven and dressed as a little boy, wearing a gold watch and carrying a suitcase of clothes, the center's website said.
David Oosthuizen, executive director, said in a statement: 'This is a terrible tragedy that should never happen. All our thoughts and prayers are with this young man and his family.'
He added that the chimps’ power makes them a force to be feared. They have six times the strength of a human being.
'Any interaction between humans and wild animals can be dangerous as wild animals are often very strong and can act aggressively if approached or if they feel threatened,' Oosthuizen said.
'Additionally, the chimpanzees at Chimp Eden have suffered horrible injuries and abuse from humans and therefore have to be treated with caution.'
The two chimpanzees were placed in their night enclosure after the attack and will be held there pending the investigation, after which they would be returned to their enclosure, said chairman Edwin Jay.
In a statement a spokesman from Oberle's university said: 'We were saddened to learn that one of our students, Andrew Oberle, sustained serious injuries as the result of a chimpanzee attack. Our hearts go out to Andrew and his family.'
In May Oberle was awarded in Geographic Information Science from UTSA. Prior to enrolling at the school he studied at St Mary's University in San Antonio.
Ms Nash has filed papers accusing state officials of failing to seize the animal before the mauling despite a staff member's warning that it was dangerous.
In documents attorneys explain why she should be allowed to sue the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection for $150 million.
The commissioner must approve any lawsuit against the state. A hearing was set for August 10.
Connecticut Attorney General George Jepsen says the state shouldn't be held liable.
She received a revolutionary full-face transplant in June 2011 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, nearly two years after the attack.
The operation – performed by a team of more than 30 surgeons and nurses – and subsequent recovery were widely covered.
Prior to the surgery, she hid her face under a veil, saying that she chose to wear it ‘so I don’t scare people.’
In an interview Ms Nash told the Hartford Courant that she feels no different than she did before the attack.
‘I just feel like it’s my face,’ she said. ‘It’s just not working real good. Every day, my muscles get better.'
In past interviews, Ms Nash revealed that having a new face allowed her simple human pleasures – she has regained her sense of smell and can eat again.
She is even regaining sensation in her forehead, cheeks, eyebrow, and nose.
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