New York Post Cartoon Controversy

The cartoon, created by Sean Delonas and printed in Wednesday’s New York Post, shows police shooting a chimp dead, then saying: “They’ll have to find someone else to write the next stimulus bill.”

Chimp Attack Connection

The image is presumably related to an incident in Stamford, Connecticut on Monday in which a chimpanzee escaped a woman’s home and attacked her friend. Officers ended up shooting and killing the animal.

The caption in Delonas’ New York Post cartoon is being interpreted by some as a reference to Obama, since — while he didn’t actually author it — he was the driving force behind the recently passed stimulus bill. The Rev. Al Sharpton tells the Associated Press the image is “troubling at best, given the historic racist attacks of African-Americans as being synonymous with monkeys.” Sharpton also called upon the Post to clarify its intentions with the drawing.

NY Post Chimp Cartoon Response

The New York Post countered Sharpton’s statement and declared it was standing behind the cartoon. The publication’s editor-in-chief issued the following response:

“The cartoon is a clear parody of a current news event, to wit the shooting of a violent chimpanzee in Connecticut. It broadly mocks Washington’s efforts to revive the economy. Again, Al Sharpton reveals himself as nothing more than a publicity opportunist.”

Cartoonist Sean Delonas went on to call Sharpton’s accusations “absolutely friggin’ ridiculous” during a phone interview with CNN Wednesday afternoon.

“Do you really think I’m saying Obama should be shot? I didn’t see that in the cartoon,” he said. “It’s about the economic stimulus bill. If you’re going to make that about anybody, it would be [House Speaker Nancy] Pelosi, which it’s not.”

New York Post Cartoon: Connecting Chimp Attack With Obama? is a post from: The Inquisitr

Chimp Attack: “Lengthy and Vicious”

Investigators believe Travis got ahold of the house keys and escaped from the home. The chimp went outside and began banging on car doors, the New York Post reports. His owner, Sandra Herold, called her friend to help calm him down.

But when that woman, Charla Nash, arrived, things took an even worse turn. Reports indicate Travis jumped on Nash and started biting and generally attacking her. Officers describe the interaction as “lengthy and vicious.”

Herold was unable to pull the chimp off of Nash and ended up stabbing him with a kitchen knife and hitting him with a shovel — but Travis was still relentless in attacking the friend, police say. Herold called 911. When officers arrived, though, they say the animal went after them. They ended up shooting him “multiple times.”

Travis ran away and went back inside the house, where investigators later found him deceased.

Nash was left with serious injuries on her face, neck, and hands. Some neighbors report her hands may have been completely bitten off.

Travis the Chimpanzee: An Atypical Pet

Sandra Herold had owned Travis, the chimpanzee, for 15 years. Stamford police say they had been called to the home for an escape-related incident once before, in 2003. That time, Travis got out of the house and “wreaked havoc” on the neighborhood’s streets for a couple of hours before he was captured and brought back to Herold’s house.

Chimp Attack Video

The following news report shows video of Travis, along with images of the home and interviews with neighbors.

Chimp Attack: Pet Primate Steals Keys, Escapes Home, Mauls Visitor is a post from: The Inquisitr