Another story from the police files

[Davejb]

I need to cheer myself up so I thought I would post another story from my copper days. Where I live we have a zoo called Paradise Wildlife Park, its been going for years and has only changed hands once since I can remember. Shortly after the original owner sold it, there were many changes, upgraded cages, fences, security, etc. But one day we were called to the zoo because a fully grown Chimpanzee had escaped. Now I dont know if you know how large these things can grow or how vicious they can be when they get old, plus the buggers have very large teeth and sharp nails. The zoo is located up in the woods which are very large and thick in places, so its an ideal habitat for an animal like this. literally everyone was out hunting for this thing, from Boy scouts, the park rangers,the zoo staff and then us. It was spotted numerous times but always managed to evade capture, but it was getting more and more vicious and attacked a few of the people looking for it and caused some nasty injuries, It was therefore decided that a  vet and a police firearms officer were to be called when it was again found.A couple of days went by then it was seen up a large tree, the only problem being was that this tree was growing out of a very swampy area, and the water was deep, at least chest height, a couple of guys from the zoo tried to get close and had to be pulled out because their chest waders had filled with water, This chimp was going berserk and getting more and more angry. If it came down the police marksman would have to shoot it, if it stayed in the tree the vet would use a tranq gun and wait for it to go to sleep and we would use a small boat to get to it, Muggins here was delegated to be in the boat with a guy from the zoo, who would climb the tree , tie a rope around and hand it down to me.Well it stayed in the tree so the vet used his tranq gun, shot it and we waited for it to fall asleep, it did and was lying on a large branch, so out we went in the boat, the zoo keeper climbed the tree, tied the rope around it and started to lower it down. All was going well until the full weight of this thing began to get a bit too much for the keeper, I did,nt realise that a fully grown chimp could weigh nearly as much as a human. The keeper began to lose his balance and then gravity took over, both he and the chimp flew past me ,missed the boat, and sank into this dirty smelling swamp. Trying to get the keeper out, the boat I was in began to capsize and filled with water, now there were three of us in the swamp, and it really stank especially as we were disturbing the water by us floundering about. As luck would have it we both found a more shallow area an eventually climbed out, with the help of the onlookers, who were holding their noses and gagging with this stinking slimey,mud and stagnant water dripping from us. Oh and the chimp, the bloody thing DROWNED!!!!!!! and to be honest if it had,nt of drowned I would have shot it myself. Needless to say no-one wanted to take me back to the zoo in their cars, my oppo would,nt let me into the police car so me and this keeper had to walk a mile or so back to the zoo, strip down, shower, be examined by a doctor, and be given white forensic overalls to wear and a plastic bag with our clothes in.Needless to say I stank the nick out when I got back, and it took two days for the smell to leave me, even after several showers, my uniform was condemned ,but I did get a nice new one along with a new pair of boots