Fight or Flight

The fight or flight response is hardwired into primates. Even us.

When St. James Davis and his wife, LaDonna, were attacked by chimps that had gotten free from their cages it was a fight or flight situation. I'm sure you heard about this. It was the story of the day a few weeks back. The Davises were that the animal sanctuary to visit a chimp that they had rescued from poachers in Africa and brought back to their home in the 1960's. It was a birthday party for the chimp, named Moe.

Two young adult male chimps got loose. The Davises were surprised by the chimps and made the mistake of making contact with them and the fight was on. LaDonna Davis was attacked first. St. James Davis had a choice. Fight or flight. He grabbed his wife, shoved her behind a table and took the brunt of the attack. The result, he lost a lot of his face and an eye. One foot was severed, all of his fingers were chewed off and his testicles were torn off. The attack only stopped when the chimps were shot and killed. Did he make a noble sacrifice or did his amygdala kick in and turn on his fight response? Protect your mate at any cost. We may never know.

Two weeks after the attack, the most recent update I could find, he is still unconscious and his condition is still a minute to minute thing. He's had several surgeries to reattached his nose and lips and left eye. His wife sits by his bed everyday whispering encouragement to him. I don't know if I'd want to live after that. St.James Davis is 62 years old and has lived a full life by any standard. He traveled the world. He was a NASCAR driver. He was a humanitarian. Now he's a eunuch with no fingers and probably not much of a face. Perhaps he has the spirit and will to overcome that. I don't know that I could. I do know one thing. If it's determined that the chimps escaped because a handler at the sanctuary left the cage open, that person should be dropped down a deep whole and left there for the rest of his life.