# Why are they autopsying these escaped chimps that were shot? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [September 12, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277 "2005-09-12T17:42:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/1 "2005-09-12T17:42:51Z")
The chimps escaped, and were (apparently) unable to be safely re-captured, and were killed re the risks they posed in injuring someone. Tragic but understandable given adult chimps quite real potential for deadly violence if aggravated. Why are they being autopsied? They were killed by bullets for being well… chimps. What’s the big mystery? ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/2 "2005-09-12T17:48:29Z")
> [@astro](#): > > The chimps escaped, and were (apparently) unable to be safely re-captured, and were killed re the risks they posed in injuring someone. Tragic but understandable given adult chimps quite real potential for deadly violence if aggravated. > > Why are they being autopsied? They were killed by bullets for being well… chimps. What’s the big mystery? It would be easier to respond if you included more information on the story you refer to, but I’m going to guess you mean [this story](http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/09/12/local/doc4324fa7f3601c238007438.txt) From that article: > [@](#): > > Sunday morning the chimps that were killed were taken to the Henry Doorly Zoo in Omaha, where their bodies could be refrigerated overnight, Schlueter said. Later, they were flown to a zoo in St. Louis, where autopsies will be performed to determine why the tranquilizers didn’t work on them. That seems pretty clear to me. Also, I suspect they want to be sure that there was nothing pathological in the chimpanzees’ systems that might have prompted their escape, as it could conceivably spread to other animals and create a host of problems. My $0.02, of course. ---
**Author:** ![Phlosphr](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/c68b51/32.png) [@Phlosphr](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Phlosphr)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 5:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/3 "2005-09-12T17:49:22Z")
I think they would be performing a necropsy not an autopsy…but I could be wrong. ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/4 "2005-09-12T18:01:27Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > I think they would be performing a necropsy not an autopsy…but I could be wrong. I’m certain of it. It’s just that the person who wrote the word “autopsy” (the reporter, I mean, nto the OP) used the wrong word, most likely due to (a) stupidity or (b) assuming his audience would know the word “autopsy” because of CSI and Quincy, but not “necropsy,” and chose the more common word out of a desire to be easil understood, not realizing that the meaning of the passage was thereby changing (because of (a)). ---
**Author:** ![gaucho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/c67d28/32.png) [@gaucho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gaucho)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/5 "2005-09-12T18:38:07Z")
> [@Fabulous Creature](#): > > I’m certain of it. It’s just that the person who wrote the word “autopsy” (the reporter, I mean, nto the OP) used the wrong word, most likely due to (a) stupidity or (b) assuming his audience would know the word “autopsy” because of CSI and Quincy, but not “necropsy,” and chose the more common word out of a desire to be easil understood, not realizing that the meaning of the passage was thereby changing (because of (a)). Okay, I’m the dumbass. What’s a necropsy? What’s the difference? ---
**Author:** ![Telemark](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/telemark/32/372_2.png) [@Telemark](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Telemark)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/6 "2005-09-12T19:08:21Z")
> [@gaucho](#): > > Okay, I’m the dumbass. What’s a necropsy? What’s the difference? Autopsies are for humans, necropsies are for animals. ---
**Author:** ![astro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/9dc877/32.png) [@astro](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astro)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 7:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/7 "2005-09-12T19:54:41Z")
> [@Fabulous Creature](#): > > It would be easier to respond if you included more information on the story you refer to, but I’m going to guess you mean [this story](http://www.journalstar.com/articles/2005/09/12/local/doc4324fa7f3601c238007438.txt) > > From that article: > > That seems pretty clear to me. Also, I suspect they want to be sure that there was nothing pathological in the chimpanzees’ systems that might have prompted their escape, as it could conceivably spread to other animals and create a host of problems. > > My $0.02, of course. Thanks for information! Sorry about missing link. :smack: ---
**Author:** ![Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ecccb3/32.png) [@Skald\_the\_Rhymer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skald_the_Rhymer)\ **Post date:** [September 12, 2005, 8:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-are-they-autopsying-these-escaped-chimps-that-were-shot/321277/8 "2005-09-12T20:33:39Z")
> [@gaucho](#): > > Okay, I’m the dumbass. What’s a necropsy? What’s the difference? Googling for a definition, I see that the difference was less apt than I believed. I THOUGHT a necropsy referred to a post-mortem examination, but not necessarily one to determine cause of death, while an autopsy was specifically intended to determine cause of death. But every reference I see says they’re basically synonymous save that “autopsy” is reserved for procedures done on human animals, “necropsy” for non-humans. So the gist of my mocking of of the reporter’s vocabulary was wrong. :smack: Not quite Gaudere, but closely enough.