Group to protest chimps in southwest Las Vegas

There's a chimpanzee issue in Las Vegas again.

A few months after Buddy the chimp was shot and killed by Las Vegas police when he and his female companion escaped their northwest valley enclosure, worried residents are protesting the presence of three more chimps housed in the southwest valley.

These chimps, however, were kept off the books.

Concerned citizen Linda Faso is protesting the chimps' owner, Mike Casey, at Robindale Road and Ullom Drive at noon today .

Casey, who bred the chimp that tore the face off a woman in 2009, is keeping several chimps in a residential area without a Clark County zoning permit. He has a hearing scheduled with county commissioners Nov. 21 after he was cited by Animal Control for lack of a permit.

Clark County Commissioner Steve Sisolak said he had concerns with Casey housing the chimps in his backyard. After Buddy's death in August, commissioners vowed to strengthen the ordinance governing exotic animals. His companion, C.J., recently was transferred to a sanctuary in Oregon after escaping a second time.

"It seems he's (Casey) had problems with other chimps, and we need to get some of our questions answered," he said. "It's a major concern that his neighbors are safe."

According to records, the address at 4835 Robindale Road was licensed for lions and tigers, but no cats currently reside there.

Sisolak said Casey was not the licensed owner of the exotic cats.

Contact reporter Mike Blasky at mblasky@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0283.