The HBO series "Chimp Crazy" has brought international attention to roadside zoos that offer exotic animal encounters and to the practice of keeping such animals as pets. The documentary, by “Tiger King” director Eric Goode, pays particular attention to a facility in Festus, Missouri, that was once the primary source of chimpanzees sold in the entertainment industry and the exotic pet trade.
PETA lawyer Brittany Peet is featured in the docuseries. She said PETA was shocked by the conditions at the Missouri Primate Foundation, formerly known as Chimparty.
“Chimpanzees were held in tiny enclosures that were strewn with days worth of feces, [a] buildup of urine and old moldy food, [and] cockroach and fly infestations,” Peet said. “In one animal welfare inspection report, U.S. Department of Agriculture inspectors described the stench of urine in one of the chimpanzee buildings being so strong that it burned their nostrils, and that was just after a few seconds of being in that environment where the chimpanzees live 24 hours a day.”
“Chimp Crazy” also brings renewed attention to Tonia Haddix. The Sunrise Beach, Missouri, resident gained notoriety after defying a court order to relinquish Missouri Primate Foundation’s seven chimpanzees to a PETA-approved primate sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida. When it was time to surrender the chimps, only six were at her facility. Haddix hid Tonka in her basement, claiming the chimpanzee was dead. In “Chimp Crazy,” Haddix is shown lying to a judge about Tonka’s death in a federal hearing conducted over Zoom.
“Do I regret it? Absolutely,” Haddix told St. Louis on the Air. “I had no idea that PETA would not claim victory with the six being taken out of there. … I just had no clue that they would have challenged that any further.”
After seeing Goode's footage, Peet wrote a letter to federal authorities outlining evidence of Haddix lying under oath in the series. She wants to see Haddix and her conspirators charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.
“She absolutely must be made an example of,” Peet said. “Otherwise, why would any defendant in federal court ever tell the truth, when they see someone who committed such egregious perjury and contempt of court get away with it?”
PETA has also requested that the U.S. Department of Agriculture terminate Haddix’s Animal Welfare Act license, which allows her to operate her zoo, Sunrise Beach Safari, near the Lake of the Ozarks. The permit also enables her to sell exotic animals.
“I've never had any deficiencies or write-ups, so I think that is rather harsh. I feel like that's unjust for them to be able to do that,” Haddix said. “I hope that that does not happen. But if it does happen, I have other people that are willing to carry the license.”
Peet said Haddix’s mention of other people’s willingness to carry the license on her behalf is an admission of a conspiracy to violate the law.
“It is illegal for another license holder to circumvent the termination of another person's license,” Peet said.
Since 2013, PETA has facilitated the surrender and transfer of 24 chimpanzees to sanctuaries, and they continue to push for the release of other chimps living as pets in people’s homes and in roadside zoos. Peet is optimistic that “Chimp Crazy” will bring greater awareness to what it means to keep great apes as pets, actors and roadside attractions.
“What we saw with ‘Tiger King’ was a massive amount of momentum that PETA was able to capitalize on to get federal action against the villains who were portrayed in that series. Now, nearly every single one of the exotic animal owners featured in ‘Tiger King’ are out of business, in prison or facing federal charges,” she said.
Peet also hopes “Chimp Crazy” will bring public attention to the Captive Primate Safety Act, which was recently introduced in Congress. The bill would prohibit the import, export, interstate transportation, possession and breeding of all primate species for private use.
For more on the legal and ethical questions behind the stories presented in “Chimp Crazy” — and why an effort to regulate the ownership of primates in Missouri failed in 2011 — listen to St. Louis on the Air on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, or YouTube, or click the play button below.
“St. Louis on the Air” brings you the stories of St. Louis and the people who live, work and create in our region. The show is produced by Ulaa Kuziez, Miya Norfleet, Emily Woodbury, Danny Wicentowski, Elaine Cha and Alex Heuer. The audio engineer is Aaron Doerr.
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