Could the Stories of Tonia Haddix and Tonka in ‘Chimp Crazy’ Prompt Congress to Act?
Chimp Crazy—the 2024 HBO docuseries from Tiger King director Eric Goode—has kicked off a wave of support for legislation that would help prevent humans from exploiting vulnerable primates in the pet trade. The series, in part, tells the story of Tonka, a chimpanzee formerly used in Hollywood films who, in 2021, famously vanished from the decrepit Missouri Primate Foundation amid a legal battle between PETA and Tonia Haddix.
Who Is Tonia Haddix?
The self-described “Dolly Parton” of chimpanzees, Haddix is a notorious animal broker previously affiliated with the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation. Featured heavily in Chimp Crazy, Haddix admits to taking ownership of seven chimpanzees who lived at the Festus, Missouri, compound despite having no formal training on working with animals.
In Chimp Crazy, Haddix can be seen feeding chimpanzees unhealthy McDonald’s Happy Meals and giving them sugary Powerade beverages to drink.
PETA obtained public records showing that between 2019 and 2024, Haddix sent at least 20 monkeys who were under 4 months old to 10 different states.
Ten of these animals were less than a month old when they were sold.
The buyers were primarily private owners who wanted to keep the young monkeys as “pets,” but Haddix also sent infant monkeys to a breeder in Tennessee and a notorious roadside zoo in North Carolina.
Since 2018, she has sent seven adult primates to private owners in Florida, Missouri, and Texas and a roadside zoo in West Virginia.
Haddix Quotes From Chimp Crazy
The first episode of Chimp Crazy opens with Haddix saying, “Monkey love is totally different than the way that you have love for your child. If it’s your natural-born child, it’s just natural because you actually—you know—gave birth to that kid. But when you adopt a monkey, the bond is much, much deeper.”
She goes on to say of chimpanzees, “Their mother is their whole life.”
Her cognitive dissonance is astounding. While Haddix acknowledges the importance of the mother-child bond, her shady wild-animal business involves tearing young primates from their actual mothers’ sides and then selling them to private owners to be kept as “pets” or to roadside zoos to be exploited for profit.
Tonka was one of several chimpanzees owned by Tonia Haddix.
His disappearance sparked a nationwide search led by PETA that included help from actor Alan Cumming, who starred alongside Tonka in the 1997 film Buddy.
The search resulted in Tonka’s eventual discovery in a cramped cell in Haddix’s Missouri basement and his subsequent rescue and transfer to an accredited sanctuary.
Tonka—who had gone missing after a court ordered his transfer and was even falsely reported dead—was confined to a tiny cage for months by Haddix. She deprived him of any contact with other chimpanzees, space to exercise, and even the opportunity to feel the warmth of the sun.
These days, Tonka lives at the Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida.
There, he is a high-ranking and respected member of his chimpanzee family, which includes his biological son, Cayleb.
When Tonka isn’t exploring his island home or basking in the sun, he relaxes and plays with his new friends or greets his care staff by sticking out his tongue. His bold nature and diplomatic tendencies have made him beloved by all, chimpanzees and humans alike.
Chimp Crazy proves that treating highly intelligent and sensitive apes and monkeys like movie props or “pets” is cruel and extremely dangerous.
If you were moved by Tonka’s story in Chimp Crazy, contact your federal legislators and urge them to cosponsor the bipartisan Captive Primate Safety Act, which would ban the private ownership, private breeding, and private commercial trade of monkeys and apes.
The public outcry sparked by Tiger King pushed Congress to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act in 2022, which banned the private ownership of big cats, including lions and tigers.
The Captive Primate Safety Act was introduced by Sen. Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut and Reps. Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. The legislation is cosponsored by Sen. Alex Padilla of California and Reps. Nancy Mace of South Carolina and Joe Neguse of Colorado.
The first episode of Chimp Crazy dropped on August 18 on Max (HBO’s streaming service)—you’ll be floored by what you see.
Note: PETA supports animal rights and opposes all forms of animal exploitation and educates the public on those issues. PETA does not directly or indirectly participate or intervene in any political campaign on behalf of or in opposition to any candidate for public office or any political party.
