Tonia Haddix, known for her role in Chimp Crazy, has been sentenced to 46 months in prison after deceiving authorities about the death of her pet chimpanzee and concealing it in her basement.
Haddix, who calls herself the ‘Dolly Parton of chimps’, was featured in Chimp Crazy after assuming leadership of the Missouri Primate Foundation. The facility was already under legal scrutiny due to a lawsuit filed by PETA concerning allegations of animal abuse. The spotlight intensified when Haddix became associated with a chimp named Tonka.
A court directive ordered that the chimps be relocated to a sanctuary. However, PETA was unable to locate Tonka during a search of Haddix’s property. She asserted that Tonka had died and been cremated, but the second episode of Chimp Crazy disclosed that Tonka was actually alive and hidden.
“I wanted to keep trying to save Tonka if l could. But then he just died on his own, so there was no saving him,” Haddix stated, as per court documents.
NBC News disclosed that an unidentified female chimpanzee was discovered in a cage within Haddix’s basement, intended for Tonka.
“While at the time of this writing the Court has not yet made a finding relative to Defendant’s violations of her conditions of release, it is the position of the United States that by possessing and concealing another chimpanzee in the basement of her residence,” a memorandum stated.
“Despite this Court’s orders and warnings, Defendant has shown no remorse for her criminal conduct, and has continued to challenge and defy this Court’s authority, and she should face a significant punishment as a result.”
In March, Haddix pleaded guilty to two counts of perjury and one of obstructing justice. Her sentencing occurred on Thursday (August 7), and she faces four years in prison, followed by three years of supervised release.
Brittany Peet, PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement, expressed satisfaction with the outcome: “Now that Tonia Haddix is locked up, she’s getting a taste of the suffering she inflicted on animals by imprisoning them in cages and denying them any semblance of a natural life.”
“PETA is relieved to see justice done and urges everyone to support the Captive Primate Safety Act, which will keep vulnerable monkeys and apes out of the pet trade and the hands of ruthless dealers like Haddix.”
Previously, Haddix had informed the St Louis Post-Dispatch that she fabricated the story about Tonka’s death to shield the chimp from ‘the evil clutches of PETA’.