A chimpanzee who starred in George of the Jungle and Buddy has been found alive in Sunrise Beach after a $20,000 reward had been offered for information on his whereabouts and the owner allegedly faked the animal's death.
The chimp named Tonka, according to an exposé by Rolling Stone, was declared dead in Missouri court records filed by his owner Tonia Haddix, who claims Tonka suffered a stroke and later died from heart failure. She went on to say that Tonka’s body was burned in a fire pit.
Photo of Tonia Haddox from her Facebook.
She reportedly wove the tale of Tonka's death after being ordered by a judge to turn over some of her chimps to a sanctuary in Florida. According to information from PETA, Haddix was thought to have had six chimps, but she told the judge one — Tonka — had died and had been incinerated.
According to a PETA press release, the animal-rights organization didn't believe Tonka was dead, and offered a $10,000 reward for information about Tonka's whereabouts. Alan Cumming, who starred in Buddy alongside Tonka, doubled the reward.
PETA says they received a recording of a phone call where Haddix stated that Tonka was alive. The animal rights organization has been in an ongoing legal battle with Haddix. PETA filed an emergency court order for authorities to search Haddix’s home in the 1800 block of Sunrise Beach, Mo., where they found Tonka alive.
A photo of Tonka supplied by PETA of where they and US Marshals found him in Sunrise Beach -- PETA image
According to Rolling Stone, Tonka “reportedly had a 60-inch TV, an interactive iPad-like touch device, and had celebrated St. Patrick’s Day among a few of Haddix’s close friends,” although PETA says that Tonka had been primarily kept in a metal cage bolted to the ground.
After the raid, Tonka was transferred to Save the Chimps in Florida, and according to PETA's Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement, Brittany Peet, he has been adjusting well.
Tonka at the Florida sanctuary -- PETA image
"After he was released, he climbed to the top of his enclosure and looked at his surroundings. He even had a friendly greeting with another chimp named Cheetah. He was calm and curious and it couldn’t have gone any better," Peet said.
Tonka photographed at Florida sanctuary -- PETA image
Behind The Scenes
Tonka was originally given to Haddix by Connie Casey, who runs the Missouri Primate Institute in Festus, Mo. Peet called Casey the "primary breeder of chimpanzees for the entertainment industry" and Casey was also the breeder of the chimpanzee in Connecticut who ripped a woman’s face off. The Festus facility has also had numerous documented chimpanzee escapes in the past few years, PETA told LakeExpo.
Tonka and six other chimpanzees were transferred from Casey to Haddix after a lawsuit from PETA targeted Casey. Transferring Tonka appeared to be an attempt to avoid further legal trouble but looks to have been largely unsuccessful.
"All it really did was bring Tonia Haddix in as a defendant in the lawsuit," Peet said.
The legal battle between PETA and Haddix had resulted in a judge ordering Haddix to limit the number of chimps she could legally have on her property. Haddix allegedly faked the chimp’s death to avoid a judge’s order to turn over Tonka and other chimpanzees to a great ape sanctuary in Florida.
Peet told LakeExpo, "Last summer, a judge ordered PETA to confiscate all 7 remaining chimpanzees at Missouri Primate foundation after Haddix failed to comply with the agreement. When PETA arrived in Festus, Missouri we were able to confiscate six chimpanzees that day, but Tonka was missing. Tonia said he died, including under oath in federal court, and when she was asked to produce the body she said her husband burned him in a burn pit and there was nothing left of his body. PETA never believed her story and we never stopped searching for Tonka. We ended up issuing a $10,000 reward that led to Tonka’s recovery."
Photo of Tonia Haddix from Facebook with another monkey
According to Peet, Tonka’s saga of movie star to living in a basement isn’t unusual for chimps.
"When chimpanzees are used in the entertainment industry, in movies and TV, those are babies. Once they start to become adolescents they become much too dangerous to interact with the public, so they get dumped at roadside zoos and private owners. Tonka was dumped with Connie Casey when he was around 6 years old," Peet said.
And privately owned chimpanzees and other exotic animals are especially common in Missouri.
"Unfortunately, Missouri is a haven for the private ownership of exotic animals," Peet said. "There are virtually no laws restricting or regulating the ownership of exotic animals."
Haddix couldn’t be reached for comment for this story. But in a Rolling Stone interview, she said Tonka was her "'best friend,' saying if PETA takes him away from her, she’ll die."
