Jul 1, 6:48 AM EDT
By CHRISTINA HOAG
Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A 42-year-old chimpanzee who is toilet-trained and can eat with a knife and fork is believed to be at large in a Southern California forest
after escaping his cage.
The chimp called Moe disappeared Friday from Jungle Exotics, which trains animals for the entertainment industry. The chimp wandered into a house next door, surprising construction workers who saw him head for a nearby mountain.
A weekend search in the San Bernardino National Forest 50 miles east of Los Angeles came up empty.
"I yelled his name out for hours, for hours, with no one else around. Nothing. Not even a hoot," said LaDonna Davis, who owns Moe with husband St. James Davis.
The Davises, who raised Moe in suburban West Covina for more than three decades, contracted a helicopter to fly over the forest Saturday and Sunday, hoping the noise would flush Moe out of hiding, said Mike McCasland, who's serving as the couple's spokesman. "That's the one thing that does spook him other than seeing Rosie O'Donnell on TV," he said. They've also hired a Rolls Royce to ride around local roads with a bottle of Grey Poupon held out of the window to attract his more refined tastes.
"We think he may be hunkered down near a water source," said McCasland. "We think he's in a contained area a quarter-mile away but he's probably disoriented and the brush is extremely heavy."
Searchers also were making noise and calling Moe's name as they scoured the forest. "His survival instincts would probably kick in, even though he's been in captivity for a long time," McCasland said. "We're hoping he'll head for the nearest rest stop to use the bathroom."
San Bernardino County officials were not involved in the search because the chimp did not pose an immediate threat to public safety, but Moe's escape will be investigated, said Brian Cronin, chief of the county's Department of Animal Control and Care Services.
"He's a very personable, sweet, nice chimp," McCasland said. "He's not going to be aggressive unless he's provoked."
The couple, who have no children, broke down at a press conference in Los Angeles. "What am I going to do?" sobbed LaDonna Davis. "He meant
the world to us," said St. James Davis. "He was the best man at my wedding."
