Seeing ‘Chimp Crazy’ led PETA to urge criminal charges against Tonia Haddix

As someone who has been captivated by documentaries like “Tiger King” and “Chimp Crazy,” I must say that Tonia Haddix’s story is one that leaves me utterly bewildered. Here’s a woman who, with tears streaming down her face in court, swore an oath to uphold the truth about the fate of Tonka, a chimpanzee she had been caring for. Yet, as we later find out, she was hiding Tonka right above her very own basement cage!

In January 2022, Tonia Haddix pledged to speak only the unvarnished truth when she joined a Zoom court hearing, where she denied any involvement in the mysterious vanishing act of a renowned chimpanzee.

In the hearing, Haddix emotionally shared about discovering Tonka – one of the seven apes she looked after at a Missouri chimp breeding facility (previously) – deceased in May. As she testified, sitting before her computer at her home close to Lake of the Ozarks, Haddix broke down so much that the judge had to pause the proceedings for 10 minutes, giving her time to regain her composure.

Shortly after court came back in session, a verdict was announced.

In her own words, Missouri Senior District Judge Catherine D. Perry expressed the opinion that Ms. Haddix invents stories. However, this belief doesn’t persuade her that Tonka is actually alive and being concealed by Ms. Haddix.

Haddix mumbled her thanks and slammed her screen down. A huge grin spread across her face as she pumped her fists in the air.

“We emerged victorious, everyone! Indeed, we have triumphed,” she expressed, casting her gaze over the film team who had been capturing the entire event for the HBO Max documentary series titled “Chimp Crazy.”

“You won for now, though,” her husband noted.

“Yeah, but we gotta just keep him hidden.”

One remarkable scene that stands out in this series is when it’s revealed that Haddix, aged 54, secretly took Tonka from the Missouri facility before he was to be moved to an ape sanctuary in Florida. This happened while Tonka was being relocated. The audience learns about this deception only after Haddix had testified in court about Tonka’s supposed death. Ironically, as she was lying under oath, Haddix was actually hiding Tonka in a basement cage, unbeknownst to the judge and others. This revelation comes from a documentary directed by Eric Goode, who is also known for the series “Tiger King.” In this documentary, it’s shown that a woman was breastfeeding her chimp, adding another layer of astonishment to this already extraordinary moment.

As the third episode airs this Sunday, Haddix’s dishonesty during the Zoom meeting has sparked curiosity: Could she potentially face legal consequences due to her actions?

Following the discovery and confiscation of Tonka in June 2022, the presiding judge in Haddix’s case with the animal rights organization penned a letter to the assistant U.S. attorney, proposing an investigation for potential criminal charges against Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan.

Despite repeated calls from PETA, the government has yet to pursue legal action against either Haddix or Aswegan. Brittany Peet, general counsel for captive animal law enforcement at the PETA Foundation, recently wrote a letter to the assistant U.S. attorney outlining the deceptions exposed by Haddix in the series “Chimp Crazy,” which she was involved with due to her access to early screenings and being interviewed in the documentary.

In the letter, Peet explained that the attorney’s office has not chosen to pursue charges against Haddix because they believe there isn’t enough evidence to prove that the chimpanzee taken from Haddix’s home on June 5, 2022 was indeed Tonka.

Peet continues to detail instances in “Chimp Crazy” that she asserts unequivocally confirm Tonka’s identity. She emphasizes the urgency of pressing charges, given that Haddix’s flagrant and unapologetic perjury and obstruction are soon to be exposed to a national audience.

In the event that Haddix is found guilty of perjury, they may be sentenced to serve up to five years in prison. If, on top of this, they are also convicted for impeding court orders, they could receive an additional year in prison.

In response to a request for comment from The Times, Carrie Costantin, who is an assistant U.S. attorney, did not provide any comments regarding the complaints made about Haddix. Meanwhile, Haddix failed to respond to several phone calls and messages sent by the same source in hopes of arranging an interview.

PETA is advocating for the U.S. Department of Agriculture to revoke Haddix’s permit under the Animal Welfare Act, which authorizes her to manage Sunrise Beach Safari in Missouri, a zoo where visitors can interact with sloths, observe kangaroos and feed llamas, among other animals. Additionally, this license permits her to run Primarily Primates, LLC, a business through which she sells exotic creatures such as caracal wildcats, Asian small-clawed otters, Egyptian fruit bats, and African crested porcupines, earning around $80,000 annually from these sales, as stated during her legal dispute with PETA.

In September 2023, an official from the Animal Plant and Health Inspection Service (part of the USDA) in charge of issuing licenses, stated via email that the agency doubted Haddix’s suitability to retain her credential due to multiple instances where she provided misleading information and statements about animal ownership to a government body.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) failed to provide a response when contacted by The Times about the current standing of Haddix’s license, which is set to expire in September 2025.

In the year 2020, when “Tiger King” dropped on Netflix, several of its characters found their licenses revoked by the USDA. For years, I had been voicing my concerns about big cat owners like Joe Exotic and Jeff Lowe to this organization, but it was only after the release of “Tiger King” that things started moving. The international attention our animal welfare complaints received due to the documentary finally compelled them to take action.

Should the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service find that Haddix’s actions towards Tonka breached the Endangered Species Act, it might lead to legal action by the U.S. Department of Justice. If convicted, Haddix could potentially serve a year in prison and/or pay a fine of up to $50,000.

The USFWS did not respond to a request for comment.

According to Peet, there appears to be substantial proof indicating that Haddix’s actions violated the laws meant to safeguard Tonka.

The attorney stated, “It’s forbidden to inflict harm, either physical or emotional, or require veterinary treatment on an endangered species.” In instances where this has occurred, courts have ruled that isolating a social species, neglecting their mental stimulation, dietary needs, and living spaces as inadequate – these actions have been determined to be a breach of the Endangered Species Act.

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2024-09-01 13:32