If HBO orders up a second season of Chimp Crazy, the only glimpse we’re likely to get of Tonia Haddix, 56, may be through bars. The self-described “Dolly Parton of chimps” has been sentenced to 46 months in federal prison for lying about the fate of one of her pet chimps. For decades, Haddix owned a number of apes, who she booked for film and television roles and also rented out for special events, including children’s birthday parties. In 2018, PETA launched a legal case against Haddix, claiming she kept the animals in “cramped, virtually barren” enclosures. In 2020, Haddix agreed to send four of her chimps to a sanctuary in Florida but was allowed to keep three others, including Tonka, who had appeared in George of the Jungle and Babe: Pig in the City. In 2021, a judge ordered the removal of the remaining chimps, but Haddix claimed Tonka had died and been cremated. In 2022, PETA learned that Haddix was hiding Tonka in a cage in her basement—then promptly rescued him. In March, Haddix pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one count of obstructing justice. In the third episode of the HBO docuseries, Haddix admitted she had deceived authorities, claiming “Tonka was literally on the run with me” from the “evil clutches of PETA.” The animal rights group has praised the sentence, saying she can no longer “hurt another chimpanzee.”
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