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Conn. Woman Mauled By Chimp Lobbies Primate Transport Bill In D.C.

WASHINGTON (CBSNewYork) -- The woman who was mauled five years ago by a pet chimpanzee in Stamford, Conn. headed to Washington D.C. Thursday to lobby support for a bill that would curb the transport of the primates.

As WCBS 880's Connecticut Bureau Chief Fran Schneidau reported, Charla Nash believes her presence at the nation's capital will lend great support to the passage of the new bill.

Conn. Woman Mauled By Chimp Lobbies Primate Transport Bill In D.C.

Nash explained that the owner of the chimp that attacked her purchased the animal out of state when the chimp was just weeks old, but by the age of 16 he had grown enormous and was out of control.

"I hope this never happens to anyone else ever again," she said. "This is a tragedy that should have never happened."

Nash, who was blinded in the attack and underwent a face transplant during her recovery, said she is certain she survived the mauling for a reason: to champion the cause to stop interstate commerce of chimpanzees and other primates.

In March, Nash made a last-ditch appeal to sue the state for $150 million over the attack. She contends the state had the authority and obligation to seize the dangerous animal.

Nash wants a judge of the court to decide if she's entitled to $150 million in damages and is asking lawmakers to give her that right, Schneidau reported in March.

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