SLU's Andrew Oberle Epitomizes Power of Resilience, Tenacity 10/27- The St. Louis man who was mauled and nearly killed by chimpanzees in 2012 is putting his name and energy behind a new Saint Louis University initiative to support trauma patients. She got me strengthened to the point where even though I’m missing a number of fingers, I was even able to do a few unassisted pull-ups. The attack on Andrew Oberle, 26, who was leading a tour, was likely prompted by chimpanzees wanting to protect their territory, said Eugene Cussons, director at the Jane Goodall Institute Chimpanzee Eden near Johannesburg, where Oberle had been researching for the summer. "The doctors are satisfied at the moment ... with the patient's condition," said Carmen Savva, the hospital manager overseeing Oberle's recovery in Nelspruit. Andrew Oberle is a peer patient advocate and development officer for the Oberle Institute at Saint Louis University, which treats patients who have suffered the same kind of severe trauma he endured. The incident in 2012 left Oberle fighting for his life while they bit him and dragged him half a mile in an act of territorial defence. I loved going to PT, even while I was in the hospital. I think it had a bit to do with my affinity for fitness: I felt like I was back in the gym, starting to live a normal life again. Oberle, who is studying anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio, suffered huge cuts to his head and face. One thing we did that I loved was TRX. Doctors cleaned and stitched all of his wounds. The institute believes the chimpanzees were able to escape through the space made by Oberle's body. As of now I have a partial foot amputation on my right foot, so I have a partial foot prosthetic. From a young age, Andrew Oberle knew he would devote his life to working with animals. A Texas graduate student severely injured when attacked by chimps at a refuge in South Africa in June is now awake and communicating. 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. The other chimpanzee immediately became submissive and the chimps moved away, allowing Cussons and first responders to get to Oberle, he said. One testicle was ripped off and he suffered deep lacerations to both legs and lost several toes. Later experts suggested that Andrew was attacked because the chimps saw him as being in their territory, and as a threat. Andrew Oberle, a 26-year-old Texas graduate student, remains in critical conditionafter the chimpanzees he was working to protect turned on him violently earlier this week in South Africa. My core was destroyed, so I had no support. And it got to the point where I was participating in her daily morning bootcamps and keeping up with everyone there. As I was just lying there feeling sorry for myself, I saw all these amazing Paralympians doing these incredible things with far worse injuries and disabilities than I had. Men's Health participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites. I have kettle bells, elastic bands, a heavy bag, and a jump rope. Zena is a bright, bubbly alert pup waiting for her 'furever' home "He never gives up. At the beginning, I couldn’t do everything he was doing, but I could modify my exercises to match his as closely as possible. Andrew Oberle, a primatology student from the University of Texas at San Antonio, was being treated at a Johannesburg hospital after two chimps … Oberle, 26, is studying anthropology at the University of Texas at San Antonio. This interview has been edited for clarity and length. But I was there the same time the Olympics were going on in London. First, it was in my room with the equipment I had: a stationary bike, elastic bands. Oberle's friends in Texas are raising funds for his care, hoping he can one day get back to doing what he loves. But the gunfire did not not scare the chimps, and when they charged Cussons, he got back in his car, he said. The vicious attack left Oberle with injures over his entire body. The 1924 Shreveport City Directory listed Andrew Oberle with his son Andrew E. Oberle in a home at 2231 Darien Av. Armed guards were brought in to protect buildings, while keepers and manager rushed to the location. So I started doing those high-intensity workouts as best I could to build up that muscle. That was super beneficial for me, really having to concentrate on my balance and engaging my core through every exercise. Aug. 16, 2012 — -- As Andrew Oberle, the Texas graduate student who was mauled by chimpanzees in South Africa in late June, recovers in a hospital, a … That really was my first moment of feeling like, “Qhoa, I’m back at it.” And I kept training, and started running up to 5k distances. I still do that on a daily basis. It was so awesome getting back in that atmosphere. At first, we could only walk to the end of the street and back. This tragic moment could have easily defined his life. By the time I got out of the hospital after nearly four months, I had lost close to 40 pounds of just muscle. So I went and asked my doctor if he would amputate above my ankle. For some reason, I was super motivated by the guy. "Life's not easy for any of us," Oberle said. It took close to a year to get my core strength back. Then In 2012, when Oberle was working at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Chimp Eden in South Africa, tragedy struck. After 22 surgeries and overcoming impossible odds, Andrew Oberle is sharing his story with the world for the first time. When the accident happened, I weighed about 170 pounds. On the show he does a lot of agility stuff, like the salmon ladder, and I was like, “I want to be able to do that someday.” So I started following him on social media and he would post his workouts online and I started copying them down on paper for once I went through PT [physical therapy]. Andrew Oberle was not listed in the 1926-27 nor the 1927-28 city directory. I could barely move. You may be able to find more information about this and similar content at piano.io, Build a Bigger Chest With This Bodyweight Workout, The Bear Plank Chest Press Chisels Out Your Pecs, Runner Honors Stacey Abrams With Strava Portrait, How to Make Virtual Races More Fun in 2021, The 5 Best Pairs of Rowing Gloves for Men, Bear Grylls Shares Full-Body 'Wilderness Workout', SSM Health Saint Louis University Hospital. Oberle, 26, had been passionate about chimps since the seventh grade, when he saw a film about Goodall, said his mother, who spoke to The Associated Press before leaving Missouri for … Their faces looked both sad and relieved at the same time. Oberle was transferred to a Johannesburg hospital on Thursday after being treated in eastern South Africa where he was injured June 28. Cussons said he fired one round through the glass and injured the chimp. So when you do things doctors tell you you couldn’t do, it really lights a fire under you, and you think, “I can keep going, I can keep pushing.”, The Knockdown, Drag-Out War on Saturated Fat, These 5 Guys Are Chasing the 'Helper's High', How to Nail That Text After the First Date, This content is created and maintained by a third party, and imported onto this page to help users provide their email addresses. We did a lot of standing core training. After 26 surgeries, he's about to embark on a new job helping others who go through traumatic injuries. Capitol riot latest: Man who allegedly dragged beaten officer down steps charged, BAZI KANANI and ADAM SECHRIST and ALYSSA NEWCOMB. He credits his fitness routine with helping him recover. Invariably, all hands go up. Soon afterwards, I was at that point where I was feeling like I was in such good shape, that the only thing holding me back was my foot and all the pain it was causing me. It took me a good long while to walk that mile, but I did it with my friends, my family, and my dog, and we crossed that finish line. Oberle fought to not be pulled into the enclosure. A state investigator says Oberle lost fingers and sustained head and other injuries. It gave me that workout high I was so in love with before all this happened. The mauling left his skull and facial bones exposed. We spoke to Oberle about the role fitness has played in his recovery, the surprising challenges he’s had to overcome, and how he’s devoted his life to helping others going through their own recovery processes. But we did it everyday, because I love being out there as much as my feet could handle. I got to watch that, and they show a lot of Paralympics stuff as well. I was feeling pretty hopeless. I was able to do all these things that I didn’t think I’d be able to do again. And after my first training session with her, she was looking at the way I was striding on the treadmill and she noticed that because of my injuries, every time I was striding forward, my leg was internally rotating, which was causing a lot of the pain in my foot. Nikki jumped on the hood of the car and started bashing the windshield. Oberle is in stable condition and induced sedation, doctors said. When I was back in the United States, I got home from the hospital and a good friend from college was like, “You should watch this show on the CW called Arrow.” We were both big fantasy and comic book buffs, so I started watching it, and the actor in that show, Stephen Amell, is in awesome shape. Find Andrew Oberle online. A look at what it took to get the chimp off the American student. A lot of people in my shoes do this, as the prosthetic devices are a lot more common and easier to use. Not only was working out awesome for my physical fitness, but it was also awesome for my emotional recovery. Young zookeeper Andrew Oberle extends a pole topped with a tennis ball toward Tumbo, a 5,500-pound hippopotamus. "When you thought about it afterwards and realized just how much danger there was, the extent of his injuries, and the fact that he just shouldn't be here anymore after all of that, it sunk in then," Krausse said. They were with me every day taking walks. At the time, he didn’t imagine that he’d go on to have an unexpected recovery, become a national news sensation, and start an institute that seeks to revolutionize the treatment of trauma patients at Saint Louis University Hospital. For Trump supporters in Biden’s America, what does unity look like? She’s the smartest when it comes to exercise physiology, especially working with people of differing abilities. So that sparked in me that I could keep living the kind of active lifestyle I had been living beforehand. - Andrew Oberle survived being mauled from head to toe by chimpamzees in South Africa five years ago. When I woke up [after the attack], I couldn’t even move my arms. Five years ago, Andrew Oberle woke up in a hospital bed, emerging from a coma after being attacked by chimps at an animal sanctuary. Photos at S.A. Parties; ... effort to raise $100,000 for UTSA graduate student Andrew Oberle on Thursday, July 5, 2012. My dogs played a very important role in my recovery. Cussons said one of the chimps was injured in the scuffle, and he was … He then hooked me up with his personal trainer Val Strang. I don’t think I would have been in the right mental state to recover if my physical recovery hadn’t been going so well. Once I went through PT, which at a certain point I couldn’t afford to do anymore because my insurance wouldn’t cover it, I had to start doing things on my own. I fell back on mimicking Amell’s workouts. Watch This Man Get Attacked By a Bear—and Survive the Encounter, ​This Fearless Instagram Model Survived a Shark Attack, How to Increase Your Odds Of Surviving a Heart Attack. Once I was stronger, I was able to go to the YMCA by my house and enhance those modified workouts I was doing even more. She pushed me to focus on working on externally rotating that knee out. He taught summer camps at the St. Louis Zoo before getting a … While giving a tour of the facility, Oberle was mauled by a pair of chimpanzees, causing life-threatening injuries that included major cuts to his head and face, as well the loss of part of his foot and some of his fingers; part of his skull was also exposed as a result of the attack. Andrew Oberle, a 26 year old graduate student, was standing in a restricted area of a chimpanzee enclosure for which he did not have clearance when he was pulled under an electrified fence by two male chimpanzees. It got to the point where we could do a little jogging as I was getting stronger. I was just so weak. Oberle underwent six hours of surgery today. We may earn a commission through links on our site. Andrew Oberle Jr, 31, was a graduate student working at the Jane Goodall Institute’s Chimp Eden in South Africa when he was mauled by two chimpanzees. He says, “Target,” touching the ball to the behemoth’s nose. 3 of 11 Andrew Oberle wears his new prosthetic hand at Saint Louis University School of Medicine, on Friday, April 8, 2016 in St. Louis. I was doing a lot of core and leg stuff, because my balance was so awful. My muscles were sore afterwards, in that really good way. Oberle stepped on a rock, peeceived by the chimps as their terrority when he neared an electrified fence. "The chimps were still out there. You atrophy so quickly, and it takes so long to come back. Then Oberle gives Tumbo an apple and hits a clicker, which the hippo recognizes as a “good boy” reinforcement. Instagram, Twitter, Facebook, Images, Youtube and more on IDCrawl - the leading free people search engine. Instead, Oberle, who has always been a fitness buff, has since devoted his life to getting healthy and inspiring others who have experienced severe traumas of their own. Turn on desktop notifications for breaking stories about interest? “The first thing I remember when I woke up from my induced coma at Netcare Milpark Hospital was seeing my mom and dad standing over me. The then-26-year-old was pulled under an electric fences and dragged half a mile before a manager at the institute was able to stop the animals. Oberle was bitten repeatedly and dragged for nearly a kilometer (half mile). ST. LOUIS -- When Andrew Oberle gives speeches to groups, he always starts with an experiment: "Raise your hand if you've survived the worst thing … Then I got a prosthetic device for my other foot and that’s when I was able to go out and start walking. On the exact year anniversary of [my accident], I did my first real event walk. The injuries he suffered in June of 2012 almost killed him. Person in Michigan wins Mega Millions' $1 billion jackpot, 2nd-largest total ever, Iran, pressured by blackouts and pollution, targets Bitcoin, For GOP firebrand Rep. Lauren Boebert, anger and suspicion linger after Capitol riot. When I was in the hospital in South Africa, I was laying in my bed. His right upper arm is broken, while his lower right arm muscle and ligaments are torn and exposed to the bone. Our product picks are editor-tested, expert-approved. Oberle's left arm was mauled and he lost fingers on both hands. "Everybody has it in them to be resilient." He was on his second study visit to the sanctuary for abused and … 10/27-Andrew Oberle discusses the founding of the Oberle Institute with St. Louis Magazine. In June 2012, Andrew Oberle, an aspiring primate researcher, was brutally attacked by two chimpanzees at a zoo in South Africa. Private and charitable San Antonio community members have initiated fundraising efforts to help Oberle with his medical expenses. I really do a lot of full body circuit training with minimal equipment. First responder Lloyd Krause said when he got to Oberle, the University of Texas San Antonio student was stripped down and the only way he knew he was alive was that his chest was moving. I was pretty lean. At this point, the sanctuary instituted its lockdown procedure, Cussons said. Cussons said he parked 50 meters from the chimpanzees, exited the car and fired two rounds from a small handgun into the air and one into the ground. Oberle was mauled by two adult chimps in a South African chimp sanctuary where he was doing research. I had a trainer with me, and I had gym equipment around me. I started to do one-legged burpees with the one foot I could use well. Here's his account in his own words. She really did wonders for me. "He's not going to quit," said friend Anthony Reimherr. 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