Was Tonia Haddix attacked by a chimp? Allegations cast doubt on Chimp Crazy's credibility
Contains spoilers for 'Chimp Crazy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: Tonia Haddix, who features in HBO's 'Chimp Crazy', claims that the ending of the docu-series is 'scripted'. Eric Goode's latest docu-series centers on the Missouri woman's legal battle with PETA over a chimp named Tonka. Knowing that Haddix would never be a part of his documentary, Goode hired a proxy director named Dwayne Cunningham to bring her on board. Haddix agreed to the project believing that it would help her side of the story reach a wider audience while PETA was adamant to take away her chimp.
When the court ordered her to surrender the chimps owned by her, she gave away all the chimps except Tonka. She hid him at a private zoo and later in her basement for 11 months while claiming to the authorities that he was dead. Haddix's call recording to Dwayne helped PETA rescue Tonka from her captivity. 'Chimp Crazy' concluded with Episode 4 showcasing how Tonka found a better home while Haddix grappled with the consequences. It ends with an incident where Haddix is seen injured after an alleged attack by her friend's pet chimp.
What happened to Tonia Haddix in 'Chimp Crazy' Episode 4?
As the show reached its final moments, we saw Dwayne mentioning his call with Haddix where she talked about her visit to a friend's house and being attacked by an adult male chimp. The scene then cuts to Haddix facing the camera, with a bandage on her right hand and left earlobe.
She said, "He was so sweet through the cage. But as soon as I went in there, I mean, I didn't even get a chance to sit down. He was mauling me. It was kinda like Charla Nash."
Further recalling the attack and the injuries sustained, she added: "I think I startled him and I think he just lost it a little bit. And I just turned away from him because I didn't want my face to be attacked because he got my finger. That's how my arm got dislocated. It just got pulled out of socket. I got them (bites) on my legs and mainly this hand, that's it. And the ear, that's it. He took the tip of the ear. Just a piece."
She acknowledged that the incident gave her nightmares. However, she stated, "But ask me today if I would own a chimp or a baboon or a capuchin, or if I'd own any kind of primate that could potentially do that to me. 100% yes."
Tonia Haddix claims the ending of 'Chimp Crazy' was scripted
Though 'Chimp Crazy' suggests that Haddix herself fell victim to the risks of obsessing over and keeping wild animals as pets, she has denied the claims made in the docuseries.
"That part about that chimp attacked me, that did not take place at all. I can self assure you that I had a debate with the documentary crew about it," said Haddix in an interview with Hit Network.
When asked in detail about the injuries that were shown in the docuseries, she added that she was attacked by a baboon and not a chimpanzee. "I had told them that a baboon had attacked me. The context is totally different than what really happened. So, it was just misleading on the documentary and I think that was to further their agenda with PETA for the Primate safety act that's currently in legislation to ban the primate," Haddix said. She also mentioned that it wasn't her baboon.
"I can self assure you that I've never been injured by a chimpanzee ever and definitely not those traumatic injuries," she added.
Tonia Haddix is clearly unhappy with the way 'Chimp Crazy' has projected her story. Accusing Eric Goode of manipulating and twisting the events, Haddix further told Hit Network, "I just feel like that whole situation was scripted. I think it was taken out of context just like a lot of other stuff was taken out of context and yes it is because I had private conversations with somebody that I did not realise was basically bought and paid for by Eric Goode and I think if anybody could just listen to the real version of everything what happened with Tonka and everything what happened with Connie Casey's case, I think people would be quite amazed at the discrepancies with this documentary versus the reality."
Now if you go back and rewatch the ending of 'Chimp Crazy' where Haddix talked about the attack, you'll notice that she didn't explicitly stated that she was attacked by a chimp. It was Dwayne who mentioned over a call that it was a chimp attack. Do you think Haddix is spilling the truth?
'Chimp Crazy' is now streaming on HBO Max