2 chimps escape outside Vegas; 1 shot dead, 1 tranquilized

Two chimpanzees escaped their enclosure in a Las Vegas-area neighborhood this morning. Police shot and killed one and tranquilized the other.

Update at 8:55 p.m. ET: The owners of the chimpanzees, David and Sheri Potochan, have had a special-use permit to keep the primates on their property in unincorporated Clark County since at least 2003, spokesman Dan Kulin told On Deadline, citing the couple's application. He did not immediately know if they had been approved earlier.

Kulin said the land-use permit must be renewed every five years, but calls for a two-year review. Applicants must also be licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Kulin said the county has approved the keeping of exotic animals at 27 locations outside the city limits of Las Vegas, including "large cats." He did not have a breakdown on the types of exotic or wild animals being kept in the county.

On their '03 application, the Potochans described the chimpanzees' enclosure as an 800-square-foot, 10-foot-tall steel cage. Kulin did not know if the cage was outdoors or inside another structure.

Kulin said an investigation by local authorities and the USDA has not yet determined how the animals escaped. No charges have been filed.

Police said the female chimp, called C.J., was returned to the Potochans.

Update at 4:33 p.m. ET: A Las Vegas animal control official tells On Deadline that today's escape happened outside the city limits in Clark County, a separate jurisdiction.

He said the city has issued no permits to residents to keep wild animals.

Update at 4:04 p.m. ET: About the same time as the 911 call reporting the loose chimps, police received a domestic dispute call at the Rowland Avenue home where the primates apparently were kept, the Las Vegas Sun says.

KVVU-TV says officers have previously responded to domestic disputes involving the owner.

Original post: Two chimpanzees escaped into a Las Vegas neighborhood this morning, and authorities ended up killing one and tranquilizing the other, according to news reports.

The primates, a male and a female, were spotted in a northwest neighborhood around 10 a.m. PT (1 p.m. ET). A police spokesman said an officer shot the male as it crossed a street and appeared headed toward residents, including children, who had come outside to watch the pursuit, which was televised live, the Las Vegas Sun says.

KTNV-TV says the 200-pound male, named Buddy, was killed around 11:25 a.m. The female, known as C.J., was tranquilized and captured shortly before noon.

Though it's not clear how the chimps escaped, KVVU-TV reports that authorities know who owned them.

One chimp climbed onto a police car and banged on it, the Sun says. A motorist said one of the animals was "acting aggressive and banging on the roof and hood of her car," the Fox station writes.

Las Vegas allows citizens to keep wild animals if they have a city permit.

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