Chimp Crazy

Chimp Crazy is an American documentary series directed and produced by Eric Goode (Tiger King). It follows Tonia Haddix, whose love for a chimpanzee spins into a wild game with authorities and the animal rights group PETA.

It premiered on August 18, 2024, on HBO.

Tonia Haddix, an animal broker, spends her days taking care of a chimpanzee, Tonka. Her love for Tonka spins into a game with authorities and an animal rights group, PETA.^[1] The series additionally explores other owners of nonhuman primates and their experiences.^[2][3]

Eric Goode was intrigued by those who had pet monkeys and chimpanzees and raised them as their own children.^[4] Initially, Goode wanted to focus on Connie Casey of the Missouri Primate Foundation, however, Casey declined an interview.^[5] Following the success of Tiger King, dealers in exotic animals became hesitant to speak with Goode. For this production, he hired Dwayne Cunningham, a former circus clown and animal trainer, to pose as a "pro-ownership" filmmaker to approach Haddix.^[4] Haddix later told Rolling Stone that she would have never participated in the documentary if she knew Eric Goode was involved.^[6][7] Yet even after finding out Goode's role, Haddix continued to participate and let Goode interview her for over a year.^[8]

The Missouri Primate Foundation featured in Chimp Crazy has roots in a 1960s pet shop owned by Connie Braun Casey, Braun's Barn, in Festus, Missouri. Though Casey had been collecting exotic animals for years, she bought her first chimp in 1972.^[9] In a 2018 interview, Casey talked about her decision to find a dealer to buy "wild caught" chimps before the law (Endangered Species Act) made it too difficult.^[9] Casey bought two chimps and bred them, selling babies for $40,000 up to $65,000.^[10][11] She started a business, Chimparty, renting out baby chimps for children's birthday parties, nursing homes, and TV and film productions.^[12]

In 1992, one of the chimps owned by Casey bit off her husband's nose. Concerned about negative press coverage, Connie Casey started a nonprofit, Missouri Primate Foundation, while continuing to run Chimparty and selling primate pets.^[10] The Missouri Primate Foundation took in adult chimps previously sold as pets or retired from show business. In 2001, a 28-year-old chimp named Suzy escaped and was shot and killed by a 17-year-old who lived next door.^[11][13] Suzy had given birth to a total of six chimps, including Travis, who made national headlines in 2009 when he mauled a woman in Connecticut and was shot by police.^[11]

In 2016, an employee at the primate facility, Angela Scott, contacted PETA to express concerns about abuse she had witnessed at work. Scott secretly shot video and sent it to the animal rights group before quitting her job there.^[10][14] PETA had already been investigating the facility, following a string of USDA violations.^[15] PETA filed a lawsuit in December 2016, citing violations of the Endangered Species Act.^[16] This lawsuit becomes the centerpiece of events covered in Chimp Crazy.

While Casey was embroiled in the battle with PETA, Tonia Haddix came to visit her seeking to buy a baby chimp. When she heard about Casey's legal problems, she offered to take over the facility in an effort to disrupt the lawsuit. So, in 2018, instead of adopting a baby chimp, Haddix adopted the Missouri Primate Foundation, including an adult chimp that Haddix had taken a liking to, Tonka.^[6][10]

Tonka was born at Working Wildlife and rented out for movies such as Buddy and George of the Jungle. After retiring from show business, he was transferred to Casey/Haddix's facility and used to breed.^[17] At that facility, Tonka had been isolated after fights with other males.^[10][18] A vet for the Missouri facility said he performed surgery twice on Tonka to seal wounds from those fights.^[18]

Connie Casey was the Chimp Crazy team's initial choice as the subject for the film, but she declined to appear on camera, so they focused on Tonia Haddix.^[19]

As a result of the PETA lawsuit, six of the former Missouri Primate Foundation chimpanzees were sent to the Center for Great Apes, an accredited sanctuary in Florida. This includes:

• Candy (breeding partner of Tonka)^[20]
• Connor (a model for Hallmark greeting cards; Candy’s brother)^[21]
• Kerry (Tonka’s son)^[22]
• Mikayla (Tonka’s daughter)^[23]
• Chloe (Tonka and Candy’s daughter)^[24]
• Tammy (another breeding partner of Tonka)^[25]

Before the chimps’ arrival, the center housed five other chimpanzees born at the Missouri facility and sold as pets, including Tammy’s son. Thus, the new arrivals were able to meet siblings and other family members for the first time.^[26]

Unfortunately, Connor, the chimp rented out for Hallmark greeting cards, was diagnosed with advanced bladder cancer and passed away. On its Facebook page, the Center posted that Connie Casey (of Missouri Primate Foundation) “was notified as soon as the diagnosis was made, and she visited him at the sanctuary to be with him during his final days.”^[27]

As a result of being held in Tonia Haddix’s basement for several months, Tonka was unable to secure a spot with his family members at the sanctuary, which by then had no more vacancies.^[27] Instead, Tonka was sent to a different sanctuary in Florida, Save the Chimps.^[26] (Both Center for Great Apes and Save the Chimps are accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.)

Tonka's move to Save the Chimps was deemed successful.^[28][29] He arrived at the sanctuary pale and overweight, however, veterinary exams showed that he did not have any serious heart problems or other medical issues.^[30] During his initial 60-day quarantine, Tonka was filmed in a YouTube video playing chase with Jacob, a fellow chimp in quarantine in the adjacent enclosure.^[31] Tonka quickly developed a friendship with Jacob and another male chimp, Cayleb, who turned out to be Tonka’s son.^[30] Lisa Marie, a female in a different group at the sanctuary, is also Tonka’s offspring.^[30]

Tonka was eventually placed in Doug's family group on one of Save the Chimps' 12 island habitats. According to the group's website, Tonka's favorite things are sunshine, painting, juice, and fleece blankets.^[28]

Save the Chimps gives its males vasectomies to prevent them from reproducing while allowing them to enjoy their natural appetites. A representative from the sanctuary reported that Tonka is ”very interested in the females" and "quite a ladies' man.”^[30]

Several animal welfare, animal rights, and primatologist groups have used the docuseries release as a news peg to promote the Captive Primate Safety Act.^{[32][33][34][35]} Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) held a press conference to raise awareness of the bill, in hopes that the "renewed conversations around primate ownership" sparked by Chimp Crazy will finally prompt Congress to act.^[36] This federal legislation, if passed, would prohibit the private ownership of primates as pets in the United States. (Tiger King prompted similar legislation for big cats.) A December 2023 review found that the "U.S. ranked third out of 171 countries in the ease of purchasing a pet primate online, behind Indonesia and Vietnam."^[37]

Chimp Crazy netted over 2 million viewers within its first week of release, putting it on pace to be the most viewed HBO docuseries since 2020's McMillions.^[38]

Chimp Crazy is Certified Fresh on Rotten Tomatoes with an approval rating of 95%, based on 20 reviews, with an average rating of 8.80/10.^[39] On Metacritic, it has a weighted average score of 67 out of 100 based on 11 reviews, indicating "generally favorable reviews".^[40]

• Chimp Crazy at IMDb