Tonia Haddix Jailed for Lying About Tonka the Chimpanzee’s Death

ST. LOUIS – In a shocking turn of events, Tonia Haddix, 55, has been sentenced to forty-six (46) months in prison for her repeated lies about the death of Tonka, a chimpanzee that once graced the silver screen in films like ‘Buddy’ and ‘George of the Jungle’.

Haddix pleaded guilty on March 31 to three felony charges: two counts of perjury and one count of obstruction of justice. The deceitful woman claimed Tonka had died to avoid complying with court Orders in a civil suit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against her facility near Festus, Missouri.

The case has been a saga of lies and deceit. Over several years, Haddix failed to comply with court Orders aimed at improving the living conditions of the chimpanzees under her care. In 2021, she was found in violation, and Tonka, along with six other chimps, were ordered transferred to the Center for Great Apes.

However, Haddix removed Tonka from the facility and secreted him away. For months, she falsely represented that Tonka had died, even going so far as to claim he was cremated and filing a motion to dismiss PETA’s civil contempt charges based on these lies.

In June 2022, new evidence surfaced indicating that Tonka was alive. He was finally rescued from Haddix’s basement and taken to the Save the Chimps sanctuary. The revelation led to Haddix’s conviction for her false statements in court.

Just two weeks after pleading guilty, Haddix was caught hiding another chimp during a home inspection. This led to her violation of pretrial release conditions and resulted in her current detention pending transfer to federal prison.