A new docuseries from the creators of Tiger King shows the cruelties chimps endure for the wildlife pet trade.
Chimpanzees are intelligent, socially complex, and share over 98 percent of DNA with humans. As the global pet trade boomed, baby chimps found themselves being taken from their mothers and living in houses and apartments of people who could never give these wild animals the life they should have.
Now, a new docuseries from the director of Tiger King tells the story of Tonia Haddix, Connie Casey, and the chimpanzees who suffered under their “care.” Connie Casey is a notorious chimpanzee breeder who sold chimpanzees as pets for decades and rented them out to events under her company, Chimparty. Tonia Haddix first joined Casey’s operation as a volunteer and eventually took it over.
Chimp Crazy*, which aired its first episode on HBO on August 18, 2024, spans four episodes and focuses on one chimp in particular: Tonka. Tonka spent his life not just as a “pet” but as an “entertainer,” starring in Hollywood pictures, including George of the Jungle and Buddy. The HBO series follows animal activists’ fight to save Tonka.
The sad truth is that chimpanzees sold as “pets” in the United States often end up in horrific conditions as adults, locked in someone’s basement, or sent off to a roadside zoo. Chimps are incredibly strong and difficult to control. In human homes, chimps cannot fully express their natural behaviors which causes severe psychological suffering. This leads to erratic behaviors and outbursts, which not only puts the chimps at risk but also the humans who keep them.
The tragic story of Travis, a 200-pound chimpanzee who was taken away from his mother at three days old, underscores how dangerous it is for humans to keep chimpanzees as “pets.” Travis’ keepers, the Herolds, raised Travis as if he were their child, eating together, bathing together, and sleeping together every night. One night in 2009, after a “seemingly normal” encounter with the Herolds’ friend, Charla Nash, Travis tried to escape—something he had frequently done.
Nash tried to lure Travis back inside, but Travis attacked her as Sandra Herold hit him with a shovel and ultimately stabbed Travis. When the police arrived, officers opened fire and shot Travis several times. After he was shot, Travis walked back inside to his cage and died. While she survived, Charla Nash required multiple surgeries following the attack. Travis broke nearly all of the bones in her face and tore away her eyelids, nose, jaw, lips, and most of her scalp. She was also blinded, had one of her hands fully removed, and most of the other hand was torn away.
Following the attack, legislation was introduced into Congress to prohibit nonhuman primates, including apes, monkeys, and lemurs, from being sold or kept as pets. Among other states, New York State made it illegal to breed, import, or sell chimps and other apes as pets, but the federal law has not been passed yet.
World Animal Protection won’t stop fighting until this crucial legislation to protect people and chimpanzees, the Captive Primate Safety Act, becomes law.
You can help stop chimpanzees from enduring a lifetime of cruelty by urging your legislators to co-sponsor the Captive Primate Safety Act today.
*The word “crazy” does not align with World Animal Protection’s values and is used here only to identify the film.