Where is Tamara Brogoitti now? ‘Chimp Crazy’ exposes captive ape's 17-year nightmare before rampage
Contains spoilers for 'Chimp Crazy'
PENDLETON, OREGON: While Tonia Haddix's bizarre obsession for a chimp named Tonka remains the center of attention in HBO's latest docuseries 'Chimp Crazy', Eric Goode also explores the lives of other chimpanzee owners and how their relationship with the wild animals turned out! This includes the infamous chimp incident in Oregon, where a 17-year-old chimp attacked the daughter of his owner, Tamara Brogoitti.
Brogoitti who continues to live on her 870 acres in Oregon still carries the same love for the animals even though her pet almost killed her beloved daughter. In her 70s, she continues to raise her voice against animal torture and wants to promote veganism.
Who is Tamara Brogoitti?
Born in the early 1950s, Tamara married Robert Wade only when she was 18. Together, the couple had four children- April, Katherine, Heather and Beau. After separating from Wade, she married John Alex Brogoitti, who shared the same love for animals as Tamara. In 2004, they rescued and acquired a baby chimp named Buck.
John Brogoitti died on April 9, 2006, and in his memory, Tamara founded an 800-acre sanctuary called Buck Brogoitti Animal Rescue outside Pendleton. In February 2013, she also became a member of the Pendleton Chamber of Commerce.
As she grew older, it became difficult for her to take care of animals which is why she decided to shut down the sanctuary in January 2019. While she gave up her horses, she kept Buck to herself despite a complaint against her by PETA.
Tamara Brogoitti's chimp attacked her daughter
Tamara paid a hefty price for keeping a grown-up chimp at her home. On January 20, 2021, Buck attacked Tamara's 50-year-old daughter April Brogoitti. The incident happened because the mother-daughter duo forgot to apply their daily protocols while letting the chimp out of his cage. When Buck saw April lying in the bed that was once his, he jumped on her, biting her limbs and torso, leaving her bleeding profusely.
Tamara escorted April to their basement and called the cops, urging them to put down the chimp. When the cops arrived, they found Buck roaming around the fence. They shot him in the head and Tamara thanked the deputy for saving his daughter's life.
Tamara Brogoitti continues to love animals
Despite the tragic incident, Tamara continues to love animals as before. Still residing at her ranch, Tamara who is now in her 70s, wants to build a vegan family. Sharing her plans, she posted in a Facebook group called Vegan America Community, “This is a rodeo town, haven’t met any other vegans, it’s very lonely. I don’t need a caretaker, that’s covered. What I am longing for is like-minded company. Folks that would enjoy gardening and the outdoors. I hold on to the hope that together we might be able to expose the nearby community to veganism.”
“I do not farm the land other than the raised bed vegetable garden, I let the land rest. There are dear, a few wild turkeys, coyotes, a large number of rabbits, and on occasion a cougar. In the fall I spend time on the four-wheelers posting no hunting signs on the perimeter fencing," she added in her post, as mentioned by The Cinemaholic.
How to stream 'Chimp Crazy'?
'Chimp Crazy' is a four-part docuseries directed and produced by Eric Goode. The first episode of the series premiered on HBO on August 18.
It is now available to stream on Max. Membership to the streaming platform comes at a minimum price of $9.99.
'Chimp Crazy' trailer