Chimp Crazy is a four-part docuseries that debuted on Max in August 2024. Cut from the same bizarre cloth as Netflix’s Tiger King, Chimp Crazy chronicles exotic animal caretaker Tonia Haddix, a former nurse who looks after seven chimpanzees at the Missouri Primate Foundation. As Tonia works with other “chimp moms” to give the primates a better, more comfortable life in captivity, one beloved specimen named Tonka goes missing and prompts a frantic search.

Once Tonka goes missing and Tonia leads the search for his whereabouts, a legal skirmish over the potential dangers of the chimp interacting with the public shifts the documentary into a moral debate involving People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). Although the four-part docuseries provides a few answers about where Tonka is today, new information has come to light that should make viewers rest easily.

What Is Chimp Crazy About?
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Chimp Crazy is an American documentary TV series directed by Eric Goode for HBO Max. Boasting the tagline “98% human, 100% Bananas,” the outlandish HBO true-crime documentaryfocuses on the obsessive “chimp moms” who care for seven chimpanzees held captive at Missouri’s Primate Foundation. One of the mothers, Tonia Haddix, spearheads a search effort for Tonka, a beloved chimpanzee known for starring in Hollywood movies. As Tania recruits assistants to find Tonka, she continues to care for the other primates while organizing efforts to open an animal sanctuary.

Once Tonka goes missing from the foundation, Scottish actor Alan Cumming gets involved and offers a $10,000 award to anyone with accurate information about his whereabouts. PETA gets involved, which sparks a moral debate about the efficacy of animal treatment centers. The main concern about Tonka’s missing status relates to a previous chimp at large who bit a human being, fomenting debate about what can and should be done to rescue Tonka safely. In classic cliffhanger fashion, the documentary ends with Tonia expressing serious concern about Tonka’s uncertain future, leaving viewers to wonder where the lovable chimp is today. However, Tonia is much more responsible for endangering Tonka than she initially lets on.

Who Is Tonka in Chimp Crazy?
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According to Save the Chimps, Tonka was born in captivity and was “taken from his mother prematurely.” In his early life, Tonka starred in mainstream Hollywood movies during the late 1990s, including George of the Jungle, Babe 2: Pig in the City, Buddy, etc. When he grew too large to star in movies, Tonka was transported to Missouri and ended up at the Primate Foundation. In 2017, PETA opened an investigation into the unethical treatment of Tonka and the other chimps at the Primate Foundation after complaints about the facility being unsanitary and too cramped.

Following the investigation, Haddix was given several legal conditions to keep her position as a primate caretaker at the Foundation. When Haddix was proven to be in breach of the rules in 2021, six of the seven chimps were moved to the Center for Great Apes in Florida (as reported by PETA). The one outstanding chimp, Tonka, was nowhere to be found when PETA arrived to retrieve the animals in Missouri. Stranger yet, Haddix claimed that Tonka died of natural causes and her husband signed a legal document stating that Tonka was cremated. Fortunately, PETA remained skeptical and continued their search.

Did Tonka Really Die?
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Chimp Crazy depicts Haddix maintaining that Tonka had died, exhibiting “evidence” in court rejected by the judge. According to the judge’s ruling:

“There is inconsistent and implausible evidence presented by Ms. Haddix. It is my belief that Ms. Haddix makes things up… but does that convince me Tonka is alive and she has hidden him? No, it does not. What I want to know is if this chimpanzee is alive or not,” she said. Based on the evidence, the judge said she “cannot say.”

Following the hearing, Haddix confessed that Tonka was still alive and was overheard telling a Primate Foundation employee, “They have to leave us alone unless they can get evidence he’s alive. We won.” In 2022, PETA extended their search for Tonka, enlisting the primate’s Buddy costar Alan Cumming to help. Each offering a $10,000 reward, Cumming and PETA eventually trace Tonka back to Haddix’s home. The documentary ends with Haddix admitting that she kept Tonka captive in her basement and planned to euthanize the animal so that he “Would die peacefully and with people who loved him.”

According to Save the Chimps, Tonka was found in Haddix’s basement, “Alone and without the care and companionship his complex species requires.” Worse yet, PETA added that Tonka:

“He could take only a few steps in any direction, he was not allowed to go outside, he couldn’t feel the sun or the grass beneath his feet, he had no companionship with other chimpanzees, he was substantially overweight, and he was not receiving proper veterinary care.”

Despite the gross negligence perpetrated by Haddix, Tonka’s story has a happy ending. In June 2022, Tonka was seized by PETA and the U.S. Marshalls after Haddix was legally restrained from euthanizing the chimp.

Where Is Tonka Now?
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It’s a pleasure to report that Tonka is alive, well, and enjoying a healthy life in 2024. According to Today, Tonka has been adopted by Save the Chimps and lives on a 3-acre island that cares for over 200 rescued primates in Fort Pierce, Florida. Tonka now lives in a family of 17 chimpanzees on the island, where they can move freely around the indoor/outdoor sanctuary, a far cry from the basement confines he suffered in Haddix’s captivity, shown in the acclaimed animal documentary. According to Save the Chimps via Instagram:

By all accounts, Tonka is thriving in Fort Pierce and has made a full health recovery. He is adjusting well and becoming more sociable in his new environment. According to the Save the Chimps website:

“When Tonka came to us, he was more human-oriented than chimp-oriented and rarely involved himself in group politics. Now, you would never know that Tonka is new to the group.
He interacts affectionately with all the chimps and will drop everything to join a grooming session
, especially if his beloved Ursula invites him.”

Perhaps the happiest development of all, Tonka was reunited with his biological son, Cayleb. Cayleb was also brought to the island sanctuary for care after growing too large to star in Hollywood productions like his father. According to Save the Chimps via Today:

“They [Tonka and Cayleb] spend much of their time together, grooming each other, eating, playing and roaming their island habitat with 15 other chimpanzee companions.”

Despite the unthinkable treatment Tonka suffered at the cruel hands of Tonia Haddix, it’s heartening to know that the lovable chimpanzee is alive, well, and now safely career for, and has been reunited with his son in an island sanctuary in Florida.

Chimp Crazy is available to stream on Max.