Where is Mike Casey now? 'Chimp Crazy' tracks down Missouri trainer with history of abuse
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: In his latest docuseries, Emmy nominated filmmaker Eric Goode presents a compelling yet unsettling story of obsession. The self-proclaimed animal lovers featured in 'Chimp Crazy' blurred the lines between ethical and unethical behavior, resulting in years of abuse for the animals in their care which ultimately resulted in a legal battle with PETA.
At the center of the four-part series is nurse turned animal caregiver Tonia Haddix. She took custody of seven chimpanzees after PETA filed a lawsuit against the Missouri Primate Foundation (MPF), which was owned by Connie Casey with the support of her now ex-husband, Mike Casey, who has a history of animal abuse. Connie and Mike always stayed away from the limelight and the negative publicity after PETA's lawsuit has only pushed them further away from the media and public glare. They even refused to be a part of Goode's docuseries. As of August 2024, we couldn't discover what Mike and Connie are doing nowadays after their chimp business went downhill.
Mike Casey's role in Missouri Primate Foundation
'Chimp Crazy' Episode 1, presents how Connie's now ex-husband came up with the idea of renting out their chimps for parties, TV commercials and Hollywood movies. They called their venture 'Chimparty' which garnered them immense wealth for quite some time. Their chimps even appeared in movies like ‘George of the Jungle', 'Babe: Pig in the City', 'Buddy', 'MVP: Most Valuable Primate' and 'Spy Mate'.
He and Connie kept the chimps in cages at their enclave and were planning to buy a massive facility with an aim to provide a natural habitat to their chimps. In the cages, the chimps, especially those older in age, had a miserable life. These chimps yielded no profit to them, and hence were given barely any attention. Their cages were cleaned once a week and they were fed old produce.
One of the agitated chimps even attacked Mike and bit off most of his nose when he went into the cage. It took him many surgeries to fix his nose to some extent.
Mike Casey allegedly abused the chimps
Angela Scott, a volunteer turned whistleblower at MPF, told PETA how Connie's ex-husband was abusive towards the chimps help under captivity. She told that he would "punch the chimpanzees and how workers at the facility would kidnap 3-day-old baby chimpanzees from their mothers—which she claimed involved luring the animals into cages and shooting them with blow darts while they screamed," mentions a PETA report.
Another PETA report highlights that as per the eyewitness testimony and USDA records, the chimps were "punched, kicked, beaten, and scalded with boiling water."
It is also reported that Mike Casey was arrested on July 10, 2013 in Hernando County, Florida, for trying to illegally sell the chimps. An investigator with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission found out that Casey didn’t have the required permits to possess three chimpanzees in his custody. He also didn't have the proper carriers to transport the animals through the state, as per Pahrump Valley Times.
Later that year, PETA filed a complaint with the US Department of Agriculture which resulted the federal authorities giving an official warning to Casey for transporting three chimpanzees from Nevada to Florida without a valid Animal Welfare Act (AWA) license.
PETA's constant efforts managed to put a halt on Mike and Connie Casey's horrifying business of chimps.
How to stream 'Chimp Crazy'?
'Chimp Crazy' made its debut with first episode on Max, on August 18. The remaining three episodes will drop every Sunday until the finale's release on September 8.
You can watch 'Chimp Crazy' by purchasing or renewing your Max membership which costs a minimum of $9.99/month.
'Chimp Crazy' trailer