The star of the HBO documentary series has been sentenced to nearly four years in prison after pleading guilty. Tonia Haddix pleaded guilty to perjury and obstruction of justice.
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The primate dealer lied to the U.S. District Court about the death of a chimpanzee actor named Tonka, according to a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice (USAO).
Tonia Haddix ran the Missouri Primate Foundation, which was involved in a civil lawsuit against PETA, an NGO dedicated to fighting animal abuse.
She allegedly mistreated chimpanzees under her care.
According to the USAO, she “repeatedly failed to comply” with court orders instructing her to improve the quality of care provided to her chimpanzees.
In 2021, a judge ordered her to surrender all primates to a sanctuary in Florida.Chimp Crazy, Haddix, HBO, Missouri Primate Foundation, prison, Tonia, Tonia Haddix, obstruction of justice
When authorities removed the remainder of her monkeys, Tonia Haddix repeatedly claimed that Tonka had died and that she had cremated the remains.
“He just died on his own, so there was no way to save him,” she stated, according to the USAO.
During the filming of the documentary, it was discovered that Tonka was alive and being kept in a cage in Tonia Haddix’s basement. The crew alerted PETA after discovering that the dealer planned to euthanize the chimpanzee.
Tonka, who appeared in films such as “George of the Jungle” and “Babe” before coming into Haddix’s care, has now adapted to life in a family of 17 chimpanzees at Save the Chimps.
Photos: Instagram @chimpcrazylady. This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team.
