The truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. That is the oath Tonia Haddix swore to uphold in January 2022, when she logged into a court hearing via Zoom to deny having anything to do with the disappearance of a famous chimpanzee.
During the proceedings, Haddix tearfully recalled finding Tonka, one of seven apes she had overseen at a former chimpanzee breeding center in Missouri, dead the previous May. Sitting in front of her laptop at her home near the Lake of the Ozarks, Haddix was so overcome with emotion during her testimony that a judge interrupted her sobbing and ordered a 10-minute recess to allow her to compose herself.
Shortly after the court reconvened, a verdict was announced.
“I think Ms. Haddix is making things up,” said Missouri District Judge Catherine D. Perry. “But does that convince me that Tonka is alive and that she has hidden it? No, it doesn’t convince me.”
Haddix muttered a thank you and slammed the screen shut. A huge grin spread across his face as he pumped his fists in the air.
“We won, guys. We won,” he said, looking at a film crew that had been filming the whole thing for the HBO Max documentary series “Chimp Crazy.”
“But for now you have won,” her husband observed.
—Yes, but we'll have to keep it hidden.
Haddix and Tonka the chimpanzee in “Chimp Crazy” by Max.
(HBO)
It’s one of the most surprising moments in the series (and that’s saying something, considering the documentary, directed by “Tiger King’s” Eric Goode, features a woman describing how she breastfed her chimpanzee). It’s when the audience realizes that Haddix, 54, actually kidnapped Tonka just before he was moved from the Missouri facility to an ape sanctuary in Florida. While she lied in court about his supposed death, Haddix was sitting right above Tonka, whom she had hidden in a cage in the basement.
With the third episode premiering on Sunday, Haddix's lies on that Zoom call raised the question: Will she face any legal consequences for her actions?
After Tonka was finally located and captured in June 2022, the judge overseeing Haddix’s case with the animal rights group wrote to the assistant U.S. attorney to suggest a criminal investigation into Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan.
The government has yet to indict Haddix or Aswegan, though PETA continues to push for charges. Brittany Peet, general counsel for the PETA Captive Animal Enforcement Foundation, sent a letter to the assistant U.S. attorney about a month before “Chimp Crazy” premiered last month detailing the extent of Haddix’s lies in the series. (Peet is interviewed in the documentary series and had access to early clips of the film.)
In the letter, Peet said the nonprofit was told the prosecutor's office “has so far declined to move forward with charges against Haddix because it felt it lacked sufficient evidence to prove that the chimpanzee that was removed from Haddix's home on June 5, 2022 was actually Tonka.”
Peet goes on to describe scenes from “Chimp Crazy” that he believes provide “irrefutable evidence” of Tonka’s identity, noting that “it is even more urgent to press charges now that Haddix’s flagrant and unrepentant perjury and obstruction are about to be broadcast to a national audience.”
If charged and convicted of perjury, Haddix could face up to five years in prison, and up to an additional year in prison if charged and convicted of obstructing court orders.
Carrie Costantin, the assistant U.S. attorney to whom the allegations against Haddix were directed, did not respond to a request for comment from The Times. Haddix did not respond to multiple phone calls and messages seeking an interview.
“Chimp Crazy” shows Haddix lying about Tonka’s whereabouts during a virtual court hearing in 2022.
(HBO Maxima)
PETA also wants the U.S. Department of Agriculture to cancel Haddix's Animal Welfare Act license, which allows him to operate his Missouri zoo. Sunrise beach safari, where visitors can hold sloths, see kangaroos and feed llamas. The permit also allows him to sell exotic animals through his business Primarily Primates, LLC. During his court case with PETA, Haddix stated that he makes about $80,000 per year selling creatures such as caracal wildcats, Asian small-clawed otters, Egyptian fruit bats and African crested porcupines.
In September 2023, an official with the Animal, Plant, and Animal Health Inspection Service (the division of the USDA that administers licenses) said in an email that the agency did not believe Haddix was eligible to retain her credential after she “repeatedly provided false information and misrepresentations to a government agency related to animal ownership.”
The USDA did not respond to an inquiry about the status of Haddix's license, which expires in September 2025.
After “Tiger King” premiered on Netflix in 2020, the USDA canceled the licenses of many of its stars. Peet told The Times that she had complained to the organization for years about big cat owners like Joe Exotic and Jeff Lowe, but it was only after “Tiger King” that “we forced them to act because we were able to get the international press to address the animal welfare complaints.”
Joe Exotic in “Tiger King.”
(Courtesy of Netflix)
The ultimate punishment Haddix could face for her relationship with Tonka would come from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. If the agency determines that her treatment of the chimpanzee violated the Endangered Species Act, the U.S. Department of Justice could file a lawsuit against her. If convicted, Haddix could face up to a year in prison and/or a fine of up to $50,000.
The USFWS did not respond to a request for comment.
Peet said he believes there is strong evidence to suggest Haddix's behavior violated the law protecting Tonka.
“It is not permissible to cause physical, psychological or veterinary harm to an endangered species,” the lawyer said. “In other cases, judges have determined that solitary confinement of a social species, failure to provide animals with adequate enrichment, diet and enclosures, violates the Endangered Species Act.”
