Chimp Mauling Victim Reveals Her Wounds on “Oprah”

By Kendra Gilbert on November 11th, 2009

First off, I must say that the pictures of Charla Nash’s injuries are horrific and more than a little hard to look at. As someone who is not all that squeamish, I had a tough time looking at the photos. In February, Nash was attacked by her friend’s chimpanzee. Now, she has revealed the severe injuries she sustained in the brutal assault.

Her face is unrecognizably disfigured due to losing her nose, eyelid and lips in the attack. Her eyes later had to be removed due to infection, which she only recently found out about. It was reported that one of the things she had been looking forward to in the earlier stages of her recovery was getting her site back. Now she knows that will never happen. Thankfully, she is able to speak and it seems she has her wits about her. Apparently, she is able to take walks around the hospital where she is currently still recovering, nearly nine months after the attack, but wears a veil to cover her face.

I’m not sure what we gain by seeing this woman’s mangled face other than satisfying a morbid curiosity for the freakish and horrifying. According to news reports, the chimp’s owner, who was also the victims’ employer, is trying to sidestep the $50 million lawsuit that has been filed against her by Nash. Will the exposure prove beneficial for Nash in her civil suit? Or will it lead to stricter laws about owning wild animals as pets?

I’m not sure. What is obvious is that this woman was brutally and abruptly attacked without provocation. It’s scary to fathom that in an instant life can change so horrifically.