Handler considers what's next for escaped chimpanzee

CREATED Jul. 13, 2012

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  • What happens now to the surviving chimp who escaped? Video by ktnv.com

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Las Vegas, NV (KTNV) -- What happens now to the surviving chimp who escaped?

Two chimpanzees, Buddy and CJ, escaped from their cage Thursday morning. Buddy was killed by police; CJ was tranquilized and captured.

CJ is now back at her home, but it's been a stressful night for her.

Her handlers say she clearly knows something's different without Buddy there. But the focus now is making sure CJ can stay healthy and happy.

"We're hoping within a couple days she's going to be back to normal," said Miguel Gutierrez, one of the handlers for the chimpanzees. "But overall, her health is good. She recovered from the sedation and she started eating. She usually loves to eat, but today just a little bit."

Gutierrez said CJ has been stressed and a little anxious since the incident, because she knows something's not right.

"She knows Buddy's not here, no longer. She doesn't know what happened to him; we're telling her he got away," explained Gutierrez.

It's believed Buddy broke the cage open, and CJ followed.

"She just chills and she doesn't like to do anything. She just followed him but she didn't follow him all the way to the cops, she stayed back and stayed out of trouble," said Gutierrez.

A welder was scheduled to come out to the facility Friday to fix the broken gate where the two chimps escaped.

But for now, CJ is only allowed in one portion of the case because of the broken gate.

Because chimpanzees are very social, and with Buddy gone, the hope is to find a new home for CJ.

"We're going to try and find a place that is better suited for her, they have security 24 hours. We want the best for her," Gutierrez expressed.

County Animal Control officers last reviewed the location in 2009, and reported the cage appeared secure.

This facility also held a license from the USDA, which also performs inspections. Action News called the USDA to find out when the last inspection was, but never heard back.