Tonia Haddix, star of ‘Chimp Crazy,’ receives nearly 4-year prison sentence.
Tonia Haddix, widely known as a star of the HBO documentary series “Chimp Crazy,” has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison after being convicted of perjury and obstruction of justice related to the fate of a chimpanzee named Tonka. The 51-year-old Missouri resident was found guilty of repeatedly lying to authorities about the whereabouts of the animal, which she had hidden in a cage in her basement, contrary to her statements that Tonka had died.
Haddix’s deceit came to light during a federal investigation, where she had failed to comply with a court order that required her to surrender the chimpanzee to the animal rights organization PETA. In March, she pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice, leading to her recent sentencing. In addition to her prison term, Haddix will also face three years of supervised release after completing her sentence.
The case has garnered significant attention, particularly within animal rights circles. Brittany Peet, PETA’s general counsel for captive animal law enforcement, expressed relief at the outcome, stating that Haddix’s imprisonment serves as a reminder of the suffering she inflicted on animals by confining them and denying them a natural life. Peet also urged public support for the Captive Primate Safety Act, which aims to protect vulnerable primates from being sold in the pet trade.
Tonka, who was taken from his mother at a young age to appear in various Hollywood films, has been at the center of a protracted legal battle since 2016 when PETA filed a lawsuit seeking his release. In 2020, Haddix had agreed to transfer four chimpanzees to a sanctuary in Florida but violated the terms of that agreement by claiming that Tonka had died shortly after a judge ordered her to surrender her remaining chimpanzees.
In January 2022, during a court hearing, Haddix asserted that Tonka had passed away and that he had been cremated, stating her desire to save him had ultimately ended in tragedy. However, evidence presented six months later contradicted her claims, prompting a judge to issue a temporary restraining order for her to assist in Tonka’s transfer.
On June 8, 2022, representatives from PETA and the Save the Chimps Foundation successfully removed Tonka from Haddix’s basement, bringing him to a sanctuary where he currently resides, free from the conditions that had previously confined him.
The case highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of primates in captivity and the need for stricter regulations governing the ownership and trade of these animals.
