Tonia Haddix, the main subject of HBO‘s 2024 docuseries “Chimp Crazy,” was sentenced to 46 months in federal prison on Thursday, according to local St. Louis outlet Fox 2. She was convicted of two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice during an investigation into the alleged death of her celebrity pet chimpanzee, Tonka.
As the HBO series recounts, Haddix owned a chimpanzee compound in Festus, Missouri, where she rented out the apes for special events, birthday parties, television commercials and movies. In 2020, one of her chimps escaped, leading to accusations regarding her treatment of the animals. Animal rights activist group PETA soon stepped in, obtaining a court order to remove the animals from Haddix’s care and into a more suitable ape sanctuary.
Haddix resisted the order for years, but when federal officials eventually came to collect the apes, she claimed that one of her chimpanzees, Tonka, had died before their arrival. Tonka was an older chimp who had appeared in several Hollywood films such as “George of the Jungle” and “Buddy.” While his death was plausible, its timeliness was suspicious.
After Haddix lied to a federal judge about her knowledge of Tonka’s whereabouts, the animal was discovered living in her basement at a new house in Lake of the Ozarks, Missouri. The discovery led to her arrest, and she pled guilty in March to the counts of perjury and obstruction of justice. Tonka was transferred to Save The Chimps Sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida
While Haddix was out on bail in July, officials discovered another unregistered chimp in her basement, which violated the terms of her bond. The case for this discovery is currently in appeals.
“Now that Tonia Haddix is locked up, she’s getting a taste of the suffering she inflicted on animals by imprisoning them in cages and denying them any semblance of a natural life. PETA is relieved to see justice done and urges everyone to support the Captive Primate Safety Act, which will keep vulnerable monkeys and apes out of the pet trade and the hands of ruthless dealers like Haddix,” said Brittany Peet, PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement
“Chimp Crazy” was produced and directed by “Tiger King” creator Eric Goode. The series chronicles Haddix’s relationship with Tonka and her tense battles with PETA leading up to the arrest. The documentary contains critical footage of Haddix lying to the judge about Tonka and Goode reporting her to PETA. The show premiered on HBO in 2024 and is currently available to stream on HBO Max.