Who is Tonia Haddix, and why is she in jail? Exotic animal case takes new turn after basement discovery

Tonia Haddix is an animal broker and a Missouri-based former nurse who was featured in HBO’s 2024 documentary Chimp Crazy. She gained widespread attention for owning Tonka, a chimpanzee with a Hollywood background, as it was featured in the 1997 film Buddy and George of the Jungle.

Haddix had lied under oath that Tonka had died and been cremated; however, he was found alive in the basement by PETA and authorities later. During a court-authorized search on July 9, the authorities found another chimpanzee in a small basement cage.

She was then arrested on July 19 for violating bond terms, which prohibited her from owning chimpanzees.

More on Tonia Haddix's recent arrest

Haddix was arrested by the US Marshals in Missouri on Saturday in the ongoing Chimp crazy saga. The authorities found that Tonia was hiding a chimpanzee in her basement in poor condition during a search on July 9.

As per Fox2Now, she and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, didn’t show up for scheduled court hearings. They were also ordered by a federal judge to pay more than $220,000 in legal expenses and attorney fees, which they had refused. This led to the court issuing a warrant for their arrest, and then Tonia Haddix was briefly detained by U.S. Marshals.

The lawsuit was filed back in 2016, and PETA had sued the Missouri Primate Foundation over its mistreatment of primates, including Tonka. Haddix was then ordered to either improve the conditions in which the animals were kept or surrender the chimps.

She, however, repeatedly violated the court orders and lied that Tonka died to avoid transferring him. Tonak was then found in a small basement at a home in Sunrise Beach, Missouri, in 2022. PETA President Ingrid Newkirk said this about Tonka's condition at the time, as per The Independent:

''When PETA and U.S. Marshals found where Haddix had hidden Tonka, he was alone, locked in a tiny cage in Haddix’s dark basement, isolated, and denied everything necessary for a healthy, happy life.''

The statement continues:

''U.S. Marshals and PETA freed him and now Tonka spends his days at a beautiful sanctuary roaming a three-acre island, climbing, basking in the Florida sun, and, most importantly, spending time with other chimpanzees—and Haddix must now face consequences for her selfish, cruel actions.''

She was then indicted and subsequently pleaded guilty in federal court to two felony counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice, as per the DOJ statement.

PETA Foundation General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement, Brittany Peet, shared about the situation in a statement, as per The NY Post:

''PETA spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to find Tonka, get him out of the cage in Tonia Haddix’s basement, and move him to the spacious sanctuary where he’s now thriving, and Haddix can’t keep dodging the court’s orders to pay back the money she owes.''

The statement continues:

''PETA trusts this jail time will be just a taste of the longer sentence she’ll face next month.''

Tonia is due back in court on August 5, 2025, for further court proceedings.

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