Lee Watkinson's Chimp Escapes... Again

August 19th, 2012 | 10:59 pm

For the second time this summer, a chimpanzee being taken care of by Las Vegas-based poker pro Lee Watkinson broke free from its enclosure.

By Matt Kaufman, Rakeback.com Poker News Editor

Lee Watkinson is a poker pro with a World Series of Poker Bracelet from a PLO event. He is best-known for reaching the final table of the 2007 WSOP Main Event.

Watkinson has recently gained some notoriety for something that happened away from poker. In July, two chimpanzees which he and his fiancé took care of escaped their enclosure in Las Vegas. Because the chimps were acting aggressively, one was shot and killed by police.

An investigation was conducted, and eventually the surviving chimp was returned to its home.

This week, that chimp escaped for a second time. This time, however, it did not act aggressively and it was able to be controlled without harming it.

Apparently, three metal bars in the chimp's enclosure were found to be bent. Watkinson's fiancé, Timmi De Rosa, speculated to the media that those bars had been bent by other humans who wanted the chimp to escape.

De Rosa could face a fine or jail time depending on the outcome of an investigation of this incident.