Charla Nash is one of the victims outlined in the 2024 HBO (and Max) docuseries Chimp Crazy.
The scathing four-part look behind the curtain at exotic pet ownership shocked fans. It centers on Tonia Haddix, an animal broker from Missouri, whose love for chimpanzees draws the ire and watchful eye of animal rights groups like PETA.
Another name mentioned in the show is Charla Nash, a victim of a chimpanzee attack whose story broke headlines in 2009; she was nearly beaten to death by a chimp who had been living in captivity as her friend's pet.
The Charla Nash Attack Explained
Given her prominence in Chimp Crazy episode 2, some wonder if Charla Nash is still alive in 2024.
Nash's story was a global news event in 2009. The Stamford, Connecticut native was attacked and brutally assaulted by Travis the Chimpanzee (an ape whose story was featured in the recently debuted HBO show).
While visiting friend Sandra Harold, Nash came into contact with the ape.
After coming from the controversial Missouri Primate Foundation, Travis lived as a pet under the care of the Harold family. He lived a fairly sheltered life following an escape attempt in his early years.
He became a full-grown chimp without any significant access to the outside world, creating a volatile protective personality in the highly intelligent animal and likely motivating the attack on Nash.
His assault on the (at the time) 55-year-old left her brutally disfigured, as he tore and bit at her hands, eyes, and mouth. This caused the need for extensive reconstructive surgery of her face and body, including an entire facial transplant needing to be done.
Is Charla Nash Still Alive?
Nash is still alive following her recovery and lives with severe scarring of the face, blindness, and a prosthetic hand.
Nash, now in her 60s, has been serving as a research subject to further the care of the aid of wounded veterans (per Today). According to the primate attack victim, she sees this research work as a way to "contribute" and "do something" despite her physical limitations:
"I think my first reaction was that's great, I can contribute, I can do something. It's not like I'm just sitting like a dead log in the water. I can really give something back."
She has long believed she can put the traumatic event behind her, positing in 2016 that it is better to "think about what you’re going to be, going forward" rather than what happened in the past (via All That's Interesting):
"Don’t think about the past and what has happened. Think about what you’re going to be, going forward, and what you want to do next. Never give up."
Travis, however, did not survive the attack, as he suffered multiple gunshot wounds as a result of the brutal beating.
This case has been a critical point in the continued conversation about exotic pet ownership in the United States. It has even prompted proposed legislation (the Captive Primate Safety Act) to see the ownership of such animals barred in the U.S.
Chimp Crazy is streaming on Max.
