JOHANNESBURG An American graduate student is in hospital in South Africa after being badly mauled by two large male chimpanzees who attacked him as he stood close to their enclosure in a sanctuary for abused chimps, the sanctuary director said on Friday. 
 
 The victim lost several fingers and was dragged down by the chimpanzees in the attack on Thursday at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden near the northeastern town Nelspruit. 
 
 Chimp Eden, a joint venture with the ape conservation institute founded by renowned U.S. primatologist Jane Goodall, is a sanctuary for ill-treated chimpanzees rescued from the illegal pet and bushmeat trades and from the entertainment industry. 
 
 Sanctuary director David Oosthuizen said the injured student, whom he did not name, was from the University of Texas, San Antonio (UTSA), and was studying for a masters degree in Anthropology and Primatology. 
 
 He was working as a guide and was with a group of tourists at an enclosure holding adult male chimpanzees when he was attacked by two of the larger males, called Mickey and Amadeus. 
 
 "The guy was just too close to the fence, they tried to pull him in," he told Reuters. Sanctuary staff moved quickly to rescue him and move the visitors to safety. The victim was rushed to the nearest hospital and was being treated. 
 
 Asked what might have triggered the attack, Oosthuizen said abused chimps were very like abused children. "Chimps in the wild go into a frenzy ... something just snaps," he said. 
 
 Oosthuizen said the sanctuary would be closed temporarily while an investigation was carried out to ensure that such attacks did not happen again. 
 
 "We have never had an incident like this," he said. 
 
 In a separate written statement, Oosthuizen said chimpanzees were wild animals and could be defensive of their territories. "Any interaction between humans and wild animals can be dangerous as wild animals are often very strong and can act aggressively if approached or if they feel threatened." 
 
 "Additionally, the chimpanzees at Chimp Eden have suffered horrible injuries and abuse from humans and therefore have to be treated with caution," he added. 
 
 (Reporting Sherilee Lakmidas; Writing by Pascal Fletcher; Editing by Ed Stoddard and Tim Pearce) ||||| A University of Texas at San Antonio graduate student was in critical condition Friday after two chimpanzees mauled him at a sanctuary for the animals in northeastern South Africa. 
 
 A UTSA spokeswoman confirmed that anthropology graduate student Andrew F. Oberle, 26, was injured in the attack at the Jane Goodall Institute South Africa Chimpanzee Eden near Nelspruit on Thursday. 
 
 He lost an ear and several fingers and toes, in addition to other injuries, the Telegraph of London reported. 
 
 Oberle underwent surgery at the nearby Mediclinic Nelspruit hospital Thursday night and was in the intensive care unit Friday, hospital spokeswoman Robyn Baard said. 
 
 “The doctors have said that the next 24 hours are absolutely the most critical time,” said Baard, who expected Oberle's mother to arrive in South Africa within a few days. 
 
 Oberle, who was reportedly working as a guide, was with a group of tourists near an adult male chimpanzee enclosure when the mauling occurred, said David Oosthuizen, executive director of the institute, in a statement. 
 
 Witnesses said two male chimpanzees, called Mickey and Amadeus, grabbed Oberle by his feet and pulled him under a perimeter fence and into their enclosure, then dragged him almost a half-mile, according to news reports. 
 
 “This is a terrible tragedy that should never happen,” Oosthuizen said. “All our thoughts and prayers are with this young man and his family.” 
 
 Attempts to reach Oberle's family were unsuccessful. The Associated Press reported that his mother, Mary Flint of St. Louis, said Friday that her son has been in South Africa since May and has been passionate about chimps since seventh grade, when he saw a film about Goodall. Flint said she doubted the attack would deter her son from his research. 
 
 Flint posted a notice on her son's Facebook page Friday afternoon asking for “prayers, healing energy and good thoughts his way.” 
 
 “He is in a drug-induced coma, and his condition is not stable enough for them to move him anywhere at this time,” she wrote. “I will be with him in the next few days. Please pray for him and his family and friends at this most difficult time.” 
 
 The facility, which was temporarily closed to investigate safety protocols after the mauling, houses chimpanzees rescued from illegal pet and bush-meat trades and the entertainment industry, Oosthuizen's statement said. 
 
 The mauling was the first of its kind for the sanctuary, which has been featured in the Animal Planet show, “Escape to Chimp Eden.” 
 
 Oberle's Facebook page is littered with photographs of chimpanzees he often referred to by name. A post from Tuesday included a photo of eight chimps staring past a fence at a chimpanzee doll. 
 
 “The gang checking out a Furbee-like chimp doll,” Oberle wrote, describing the photo. “Several stick were thrown and poked at it once it started moving its arms and making noise.” 
 
 He's taken courses at UTSA since fall 2008, and his graduate student profile on the university's website indicated his interest in researching primates. In May, UTSA awarded him a certificate in geographic information science, according to UTSA spokeswoman Christi Fish. 
 
 A UTSA statement said staff members were saddened to learn of the injury and that “our hearts go out to Andrew and his family.” 
 
 Oosthuizen said chimpanzees are defensive about territory and “can act aggressively if approached or if they feel threatened.” The ones at the sanctuary have already experienced abuse and injury by humans “and therefore have to be treated with caution.” 
 
 jlloyd@express-news.net 
 
 Twitter: @jlloydster
– An American grad student is in critical condition after being attacked by chimpanzees at Jane Goodall's sanctuary in South Africa. The student from the University of San Antonio, Texas, was guiding a group of tourists at the sanctuary for abused chimps when two large males pulled him under a fence into the animals' enclosure, reports AP. He got dragged for about a half-mile, and reportedly lost several fingers and part of an ear in the attack. "The guy was just too close to the fence," the sanctuary director tells Reuters. The Texas school has identified him as Andrew Oberle, reports the San Antonio Express-News. The South African sanctuary, called Chimp Eden, was founded by famed primatologist Goodall and houses rescued, mistreated animals.