New face of chimpanzee attack victim revealed

Phase two

The pictures of Charla Nash were first shown on NBC’s Today show and in Hearst Connecticut Newspapers on Thursday morning.

They were later released by Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, where she had face transplant surgery in May.

Nash, 57, didn’t appear on Today because relatives said she was too weak to do an interview. In a statement released by the hospital, Nash thanked all the doctors, nurses and other medical experts who helped her over the past two years. “I will now be able to do things I once took for granted,” Nash said. “I will be able to smell. I will be able to eat normally. I will no longer be disfigured. I will have lips and will speak clearly once again. I will be able to kiss and hug loved ones.”

The show aired footage of Nash in a hospital bed, nodding to visitors, her face smooth and features appearing nearly normal.

Nash was attacked in 2009 by a neighbour’s 90-kilogram pet chimpanzee, which went berserk after its owner asked Nash to help lure it back into her house. The animal, named Travis, ripped off Nash’s nose, lips, eyelids and hands before being shot to death by police.