LAS VEGAS, July 12 (Reuters) – A pair of chimpanzees were
briefly on the loose in a Las Vegas neighborhood on Thursday
before police trying to corral the potentially dangerous animals
shot one chimp dead and authorities managed to tranquilize and
capture the other.
Las Vegas police spokesman Bill Cassell said officers rushed
to the neighborhood, which has a mix of residences and
businesses, after residents called in the morning to report
seeing the chimps.
“They chased them around for a while trying to get them
corralled. At one point one of our officers did discharge his
firearm and one of the chimpanzees is dead. The second one has
been captured with the aid of a tranquilizer gun,” Cassell said.
He said police were investigating where the animals had come
from and whether a private person may have been keeping them,
noting that the chimps could not have come from a zoo or animal
preserve in the desert city: “I can tell you there are no zoos
in the area.”
Cassell said that the incident was over within about 90
minutes of when police received the first call. He could not
provide information about the condition of the surviving animal
but said it would get medical care if needed.
(Reporting By Cynthia Johnston; Editing by Greg McCune and
Cynthia Osterman)
