5 Shocking Updates On Charla Nash: The Woman Who Survived Travis The Chimp’s Brutal Attack 16 Years Later

The story of Charla Nash and Travis the chimpanzee remains one of the most horrific and widely-publicized animal attacks in modern history, but the survivor’s journey is far from over. As of June 2025, sixteen years after the brutal 2009 mauling that left her blind and severely disfigured, Charla Nash is providing new, inspiring updates on her life, her groundbreaking face transplant, and her continuous fight for a return to normalcy. Her resilience, despite losing her eyes, nose, lips, and hands in the attack, has turned her into a powerful symbol for trauma survivors and a catalyst for change in exotic pet laws.

The attack by the 200-pound chimpanzee, Travis, was a devastating event that shattered Charla’s life and led to a national debate about the dangers of keeping primates as pets. Today, at 71, Nash is sharing the latest results of her long road to recovery, including the slow but steady return of sensation in her face and a personal goal that highlights her incredible determination to live a full life: eating solid food again.

The Biography and Profile of Charla Nash

Charla Nash’s life before the attack was that of a single mother and employee in Stamford, Connecticut, whose world was irrevocably changed in a matter of minutes. Her profile is now defined by her survival and her pioneering role in modern reconstructive surgery.

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• Full Name: Charla Nash
• Date of Birth: May 10, 1953 (Approximate)
• Age (as of June 2025): 72
• Resides: Assisted living facility outside Boston, Massachusetts.
• Occupation: Former employee (dispatcher, bookkeeper, and maintenance worker) for Sandra and Jerome Herold's towing company.
• Daughter: Brianna Nash.
• The Attack: Mauled by Travis the chimpanzee on February 16, 2009, in Stamford, Connecticut.
• Injuries: Loss of eyes (resulting in blindness), nose, lips, eyelids, mid-face bone structure, and nine fingers.
• Major Surgeries: More than seven hours of initial surgery; a full face transplant in May 2011 at Brigham and Women's Hospital.
• Legal Outcome: Settled a $50 million lawsuit with Sandra Herold’s estate for approximately $4 million in 2012. An attempt to sue the state of Connecticut for $150 million was denied on the basis of sovereign immunity.

The Infamous Attack and the Chimp Named Travis

The 2009 incident was not a random wildlife attack but a tragedy rooted in the controversial practice of keeping an exotic animal as a pet. Travis, a 200-pound male common chimpanzee, was raised by Sandra and Jerome Herold since he was three days old, after being taken from his mother at the Missouri Primate Foundation.

Travis was raised like a human child: he ate at the table, drank wine from a stemmed glass, dressed himself, and was a local celebrity who had appeared in Old Navy commercials. After the deaths of Sandra’s daughter and husband, Travis became her surrogate son, sleeping and bathing with her.

On February 16, 2009, Travis became agitated after taking Sandra’s car keys and leaving the house. Sandra, who was reportedly isolated and distraught, gave the chimp a cup of tea laced with Xanax, an anti-anxiety drug, which may have contributed to his aggression. Charla Nash, a friend and employee, arrived to help lure Travis back inside. When Nash held up a Tickle-Me-Elmo doll—one of Travis's favorite toys—the chimp "flew into a rage" and launched a ferocious attack, possibly confusing her due to a recent change in her hairstyle.

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The 911 call placed by Sandra Herold, where she screamed, "He ripped her face off! He's eating her!" became a chilling, globally-recognized piece of audio. Sandra’s attempts to stop the mauling by hitting Travis with a shovel and stabbing him with a butcher knife were unsuccessful. The attack only ended when a responding police officer, Frank Chiafari, shot the chimpanzee multiple times. Travis, bleeding, retreated to his room inside the house and died grasping his bedpost.

Charla Nash’s New Life: The Power of a Face Transplant

Charla Nash's survival was a miracle, but her road to recovery was a grueling, multi-year ordeal involving over 30 surgeries. Her case became a beacon of hope for reconstructive medicine, particularly for injured military veterans.

The Groundbreaking Surgeries

The initial injuries were so severe that doctors had to remove her eyes due to a disease transmitted by the chimp. After 15 months of intensive intervention at the Cleveland Clinic, Charla became a candidate for a pioneering procedure.

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• Face Transplant (May 28, 2011): Charla received a full face transplant from an anonymous female donor at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston. The procedure replaced her nose, lips, facial skin, muscles, and nerves.
• Hand Transplant (Failed): She also underwent a double hand transplant at the same time, but her body rejected the new tissue shortly after due to complications from pneumonia and infection, forcing doctors to remove them five days later.
• Immunosuppression and Rejection: In 2015, Charla participated in a military-funded experiment to wean her off lifelong anti-rejection drugs, which carry risks like cancer and kidney damage. The experiment was halted in 2016 after her body showed signs of rejecting the face transplant, but doctors successfully reversed the rejection by returning her to the original medication regimen.

Recent Updates and Her Goal in June 2025

In a recent interview in June 2025, Charla Nash, now 71, provided fresh insight into her life, which she describes as "getting better, it is coming around slowly."

She lives in an assisted living facility where she receives daily rehabilitation and speech therapy. The most inspiring update is the slow return of sensation in her transplanted face. While she cannot yet feel her nose and upper lip, she can feel her cheek and forehead.

Her current, deeply personal goal is a testament to her enduring spirit: "I was only drinking everything from a straw and my goal is to be able to eat again." She expressed excitement about the possibility of eating simple foods like pizza and steak. Charla's positive outlook remains unwavering, offering advice to others: "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.”

The Lasting Impact on Exotic Pet Laws and Public Safety

The Charla Nash tragedy sparked immediate and long-lasting legislative action and a global conversation about the ethics of primate ownership.

The event fueled the reintroduction of the Captive Primate Safety Act in the U.S. Congress, which aimed to prohibit the interstate and foreign sale and purchase of chimpanzees and other primates as pets. While the initial bill did not pass, it was reintroduced as recently as 2024, demonstrating the enduring pressure from animal welfare groups like the Humane Society of the United States.

Furthermore, the experience of the police officer who shot Travis, Frank Chiafari, who struggled to get therapy for his anxiety and depression after the event, led to proposed legislation in 2010 to cover mental health care for officers who use justifiable deadly force against an animal.

The story of Charla Nash and Travis the Chimp serves as a permanent, chilling reminder that chimpanzees, despite their 98-99% genetic similarity to humans and their high intelligence, are wild animals with unpredictable and immense strength. The attack highlighted the grave dangers of anthropomorphizing and domesticating great apes, confirming that a chimpanzee, even one raised in a loving home, can become a "ticking time bomb" as they reach maturity.

Charla Nash’s journey—from the brink of death to a life of ongoing rehabilitation and hope—is a powerful narrative of human resilience that continues to inspire and drive crucial policy changes more than a decade and a half later.