Buck was a chimpanzee who was kept as a "pet" in a home in Oregon for the last 17 years. His owner had always refused all efforts to place Buck at an accredited chimpanzee sanctuary. There was a consistent fear among experts that Buck, like other privately owned chimps, would one day react aggressively - with tragic consequences. Sure enough, last Sunday he did, attacking the daughter of his owner until police shot him dead.
After having known about Buck for years, coming away frustrated when his owner would refuse sanctuary assistance, it was very, very upsetting to see this outcome. Even though it was rather expected, it also felt avoidable. If only someone had been able to convince his owner to let him live the sanctuary life. If only he had lived a more natural life in which natural aggression wouldn't cause his death. If only Buck hadn't been bred and sold as a "pet" in the first place. If only...
Chimp attacks always bring media attention, and this one was no different. I first spoke with The Oregonian about Buck, and the story (and my quotes) were then picked up all over the nation and globe, appearing in sites like Newsweek, MSN, Yahoo, Fox News, and then sites in other countries like The Independent in the UK, and others in India, Brazil, Indonesia, and more.
I also did a longer interview with Newsweek for a future piece to come out about the exotic pet trade, publication date TBD.
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