By Martyn Colbeck, Disney
Monkey business: Oscar, star of 'Chimpanzee,' chows down on Sacoglottis fruit.
By Douglas Stanglin, USA TODAY
The attack occurred at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden near the city of Nelspruit in eastern South Africa, the British newspaper reports.
The South African newspaper Beeld identifies the victim as Andrew Oberle, a graduate student in anthropology and primatology at the University of Texas-San Antonio.
The newspaper says Oberle lost some fingers and part of his ear in the attack. Reuters reports that the victim lost several fingers when he was attacked by two male chimps, named Mickey and Amadeus.
Paramedics said the man, in critical condition, suffered serious wounds and multiple bites.
The Telegraph quotes Jeffrey Wicks, a spokesman for a private ambulance firm, as saying the man was attacked close to a fence while leading a tour group.
"According to eyewitnesses, two chimpanzees grabbed the man by his feet and pulled him under the perimeter fence and into the enclosure," Wicks says.
The Telegraph quotes David Oosthuizen, Jane Goodall Institute executive director, as confirming the attack and putting the reserve on lockdown.
Oosthuizen is quoted as calling the incident "very upsetting" and "just horrific."
The sanctuary, which conducts daily tours, is home to 33 chimpanzees in large enclosures, the newspaper says.
Reuters says Chimp Eden is a sanctuary for ill-treated chimpanzees rescued from the illegal pet and bushmeat trades and from the entertainment industry. It describes the reserve as a joint venture with the ape conservation institute founded by Goodall, the famed U.S. primatologist.
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