DOCUMENTARY fans have been completely disturbed after viewing a trailer for HBO's newest docuseries Chimp Crazy. The new show follows Tonia Haddix, a woman who was formerly a nurse, but found that her true passion was taking care of exotic animals . In the HBO series, viewers will experience Tonia's day-to-day life as a chimpanzee owner.
At the beginning of her animal journey, Tonia began working at the Missouri Primate Foundation. Eventually, she took over the organization - where she raised seven monkeys between there and her home in Sunrise Beach, Missouri. Tonia owned a well-known animal in the Hollywood industry, a retired chimp named Tonka.
Read More on Documentaries Tonka appeared in two hit 1997 films including Buddy alongside Alan Cumming and George of the Jungle starring Brendan Fraser and Leslie Mann . Due to Tonia owning Tonka, she was hit with lawsuits from PETA and the police . 'WE FOUND EACH OTHER' In the trailer for the documentary , Tonia praised Tonka and said she would "do anything to protect" him.
She said, "Tonka and I just found each other. It was meant to be, it was just natural. Most read in Streaming "Tonka loved me just as much as I love Tonka.
"It's like your love for God." Later on, actor Alan Cumming, who spoke out at the time of Tonia's lawsuits, appeared in the doc and said, "People fall in love with these chimps, and you can't wild things." In the next clip, Tonia fed her animals trapped in cages fast food .
Tonia's son, Justin, also appeared in the documentary and said, "I've never seen her so passionate about anything in my life. Ever. Tonka and I just found each other.
It was meant to be, it was just natural. "And that includes her own son." Tonia also has a daughter named Erica.
'MY HEART BREAKS' In the comment section of the trailer shared on YouTube, fans were left shocked by Tonia's way of life. One commented, "The sadness is in that woman's son saying she loves the chimp more than her own children. Deeply sad.
" "My heart breaks daily with stories like this," another wrote. A third mentioned, "So cruel." THE LAWSUITS Run-ins with the law came into play in 2017 when PETA sued former Missouri Primate Foundation owner Connie Casey over the chimp's living conditions.
Tonia came into the picture when she was named as a defendant in Connie's case after taking ownership of the animals. In 2020, PETA granted Tonia ownership of only three chimps - including Tonka - instead of the seven she had living in her home if she made serious upgrades to the Missouri organization. However, Tonia did not meet those requirements and was ordered to have the seven chimps transferred to the Center for Great Apes in Florida.
"They’re not getting the chimps. They’re not getting them," Tonia told FOX 2 at the time. After law enforcement went to take the chimps away in July 2021, Tonka was the only one not accounted for.
Tonia revealed that Tonka had died, but a judge did not find her credible, and when the police were tipped off after hearing a recorded phone call, they knew where to look for Tonka. 'NOT RECEIVING PROPER CARE' In June 2022, PETA was successful in finding the chimp, who was locked in a cage in Tonia's basement. In a statement , PETA described Tonka's terrifying living conditions.
"He could only take a few steps in any direction, he was not allowed to go outside, he couldn't feel the sun or the grass beneath his feet, he had no companionship with other chimpanzees. "He was overweight, likely from lack of exercise, and he was not receiving proper veterinary care." Read More on The US Sun Later in 2022, Tonka was moved to the Save the Chimp's sanctuary in Florida.
Chimp Crazy premieres on HBO on Sunday, August 18..
