By Katie Sterling
You will cringe at this show. You will let out the occasional laugh. You will, dare I say, be emotionally traumatized by this show. And yet, you’ll keep watching because there is just absolutely no way you won’t want to know how the story unfolds. Move over Tiger King, Chimp Crazy is now the cat’s meow.
Director Eric Goode, who blessed us (cursed us?) with the wild antics of Joe Exotic, is back with another outlandish docuseries about individuals who house wild animals. This four-part series focuses not on cats, but on chimpanzees and the bonds between these highly intelligent primates and the humans that raise them. After all, what could go wrong with housing an exotic animal that shares 98.6% of their DNA with humans?! Turns out…everything.
While Chimp Crazy sets the stage for the story by unfolding the history of “infamous” chimpanzee breeder and seller Connie Casey, the true subjects of the narrative are Tonia Haddix and Tonka. Haddix, the self-proclaimed “Dolly Parton of chimps” started off as a volunteer at Connie Casey’s Missouri Primate Foundation before eventually becoming the caretaker and owner of the compound. During her years there, Haddix became particularly close to Tonka, a retired chimp actor who reached the age of maturity and was thus no longer able to be controlled like young chimps are. Tonka, as well as the other chimps at the compound, spend their days in cages eating Happy Meals and generally, not living the life that these wild animals should.
On the other side of this story is PETA general counsel Jared Goodman and actor Alan Cumming, who worked with Tonka in Hollywood decades prior. Despite Missouri having absolutely no animal protection laws to speak of, their goal is to rescue these distressed chimps from a deteriorating compound and stop the exotic animal broking Haddix is involved with. What unfolds is a cat-and-mouse game between Goodman and Haddix that is so incredibly bananas (pun intended), you wonder how this is real life.
If you have pithecophobia (guilty as charged or maybe just acutely aware that you don’t mess with a wild primate who is as big AND almost as smart as you), this docuseries is almost as horrific as any horror film. Raising chimps is nothing new, as the documentary details, but seemingly no one has learned their lesson despite the numerous tragedies that housing these primates have caused. Episode two has a 911 call that will chill you to the bone…
Much like Tiger King, Chimp Crazy is a not a documentary on the animals themselves, but rather the humans that test the boundaries between owner and “pet.” They see these animals through rose-colored glasses, with the “personhood” nature of chimps further blurring that distinction. Haddix even calls the chimps her “kids,” professing without irony that she loves them even more than her own human children.
Chimp Crazy may only be four episodes, but the rollercoaster of a storyline will keep you captivated and continually guessing what will happen next. It is at times the strangest, and most horrifying narrative I’ve ever encountered. Chimp Crazy is a must-see docuseries not only for the intriguing subject matter, but for the fascinating light it shines on exotic animal trading that is still prevalent today. If you deem to immerse yourself in the docuseries that will have everyone talking, all I can say is you’re welcome and I’m sorry.
Chimp Crazy is currently streaming on Max.
