Where In The World Is "The Dolly Parton Of Chimps" Now?

I thought I had seen my share of wacky documentaries by now. From serial donors turned white supremacists to celebs outed on a cheating website, I’ve seen some messy shit. But when I tuned in to watch Chimp Crazy, a seemingly nutty exotic animal owner story, I was not ready for how bananas things were about to get. Four episodes later, we’ve got fake ape ashes, Alan Cummings, dodgy lip filler, a face being ripped off, and monkeys eating Happy Meals. Oh, not to mention the fucking capuchin that owns a wardrobe to rival Carrie Bradshaw’s. Let’s talk about the latest ape shit Netflix documentary, Chimp Crazy, and where the fuck Tania Haddix is now.

What is Chimp Crazy about?  

Directed by Eric Goode, the maker of our pandemic favorite, Tiger King, this documentary series zooms in on the monkey industry. It focuses on Tonia Haddix, a woman who will do anything to keep PETA from taking away her beloved chimpanzee, Tonka. 

Tonia is a former nurse turned exotic animals dealer, who took over ownership of the Missouri Primate Foundation (also known as Chimparty), from another Chimpanzee enthusiast and owner, Connie Casey, in the late 2010s. This was due to PETA’s battle against Casey over the treatment and needs of her chimps. Of all the chimps, Tonia is particularly attached to Tonka, a retired Hollywood chimp who starred in George of the Jungle , Babe and Buddy. 

In 2020, Tonia and PETA had reached an agreement that she could retain ownership of the chimps, including Tonka, so long as she upgraded the Missouri Primate Foundation facility. She failed to do this, so she was ordered by a judge to surrender all of her animals to PETA. She seemingly did so, but PETA found one missing: Tonka.

Under oath in Zoom court, Tonia claimed Tonka had died (rip) and even showed some supposed ashes from where her husband burned him up in the garden — excuse me?? PETA didn’t buy this BS so kept pushing for the truth, offering a $10k reward, which was later doubled by Alan Cumming. 

Tonia revealed to the fake director, Dwayne (as Eric is too recognisable in the industry), that Tonka was alive and living in her basement. The filmmakers were left with the choice of whether or not to turn her in. Big yikes!!

What happened at the end of Chimp Crazy?

When Tonia informed Dwayne that she was going to put Tonka down due to congestive heart failure/the pressures of PETA, the documentary crew decided to reveal what they knew. The court got involved, and despite Tonia claiming Tonka couldn’t be moved safely, he was taken by the Feds. Tonka was sedated, examined by vets, and moved to the Center for Great Apes in Florida. Gotta say that place looks GOOD! Like, can humans go live there too? We’re part ape, right?

Tonia was PISSED, even more so when she discovered that Dwayne is the one who turned her in, and when she found out (via a Rolling Stone journalist) that it was actually Eric Goodman directing the documentary!! But she agreed to keep chatting to them so she could tell her version of events. Speaking to that Rolling Stone journalist, she explained, “They promised me they would make it out to be a love story.”

Right at the end of the documentary, Tonia is filmed with extreme injuries. She had recently been mauled by a friend’s chimp after entering its cage. Her ear is missing a chunk, her arm was pulled from its socket, her hand is injured, and her legs are covered in bite marks. Yet, she says she would enter that cage again, and she would own chimps again. In fact, she tells the camera that she plans to own more chimps and allow them to roam wild around an estate. Speaking of her injuries to Rolling Stone, Tonia said, “It wasn’t near as bad as they wanted to portray it. It could have been way worse,” — girl, it ate your ear? Are you still able to hear yourself?

Where is Chimp Crazy’s Tonia Haddix now?

Aside from her brutal injuries, Tonia was also left with a wicked fine by PETA. In March 2023, Haddix was ordered to pay PETA $224,404.24 to reimburse the expenses and attorneys’ fees the organization spent trying to save Tonka. 

As of 2024, Tonia has managed to avoid jail time and still lives near the Ozarks with her husband, Jerry Aswegan. She continues to work as an exotic animal broker in Sunrise Beach, Missouri; together, they own a mobile petting zoo, Sunrise Beach Safari.

She has two grown children and is a grandma, although she openly admits she loves Tonka more than her offspring or her hubby. Her own son admits on camera to knowing this about his mother — wowza.

She told Rolling Stone that she is still trying to get permission to see Tonka, but hasn’t been allowed. While Tonia finds it unfortunate that she lied to the judge and wishes to apologize to them, she stands behind her actions.

How is Tonka doing?

Okay, let’s talk about who we really care about: TONKA!!! The monkey, the myth, the movie star. Most of this documentary series revolves around this 32-year-old chimpanzee and how desperate everyone is to get their hands on him. 

Save the Chimps has offered an update on our bestie. They discussed how he was previously being held in a basement “alone and without the care and companionship his complex species requires.” They further explained that “He could take only 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 substantially overweight, and he was not receiving proper veterinary care.”

Tonka was moved to their sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, which currently houses more than 200 rescued chimpanzees. It’s a home for animals who can’t survive in the wild, including chimps that were rescued rom the entertainment industry, the pet trade or research laboratories — or from bonkers women’s basements. Despite arriving “pale and overweight,” Tonka is now thriving, apparently!!

He lives as part of a family of 17 chimpanzees over a 3-acre island, and the sanctuary claims to emphasize giving chimps “choices and control over their own lives” — again, pls rescue me.

Tonia had expressed that Tonka would struggle with other chimps, as he was more human than chimp, and would be bullied. But according to Save the Chimps staffer Jenny Friedman, Tonka has lots of friends. “When Tonka came to us, he was more human-oriented than chimp-oriented and rarely involved himself in group politics. Now, you would never know that Tonka is new to the group,” she said. “He interacts affectionately with all the chimps and will drop everything to join a grooming session, especially if his beloved Ursula invites him.”

Some of Tonka’s kiddos are at the sanctuary too, like his son Cayleb, who was also used in Hollywood movies. Apparently, they hang out a lot and do chimp things. These days, the sanctuary says Tonka’s favorite things include sunshine, juice, and fleece blankets. He also loves painting!!! 

Why was Alan Cumming involved in Chimp Crazy?

Why was Alan Cumming involved??? Good question!! Alan has been a long-term PETA supporter, but this case was a more personal one. Tonka was a former co-star of Alan’s, as the pair starred in Buddy together. Supposedly, Alan thought of his hairy screenmate frequently over the years and believed he had retired to Palm Springs. When he heard about the situation, he got involved and even increased the reward to find Tonka.

Since Tonka’s rescue, Alan has visited him at the sanctuary and got rather emosh about it all. Maybe Tonka could come out of retirement to be on the next season of The Traitors.