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SAN FRANCISCO - A man who was mauled by two chimpanzees at an animal sanctuary last week was quickly overwhelmed when the animals attacked, his wife said Monday.
"One was at his head, one was at his foot. But all that time ... he was trying to reason with them," LaDonna Davis said.
Davis, 64, and her husband, St. James Davis, were visiting Animal Haven Ranch near Bakersfield on Thursday when two male chimps escaped their enclosure and attacked.
"When we made eye contact, the charge was on," LaDonna Davis said. "My husband must have realized we were in deep trouble because he pushed me backward. ... They both went for him."
St. James Davis, 62, lost all the fingers from both hands, an eye, part of his nose, cheek, lips and part of his buttocks in the attack.
Doctors at Loma Linda University Medical Center said his condition was "minute by minute," his wife said.
Authorities were investigating how the chimps, who were shot and killed during the attack, got loose.