Who is Angela Scott? HBO's 'Chimp Crazy' honors whistleblower who changed everything
Contains spoilers for 'Chimp Crazy'
LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA: A single step can lead to a significant change. It's a lesson from 'Chimp Crazy' Episode 1 that highlights a whistleblower's brave attempt that changed the fate of a group of chimps after years of exploitation. It took Angela Scott a few years to realize that the practices at Missouri Primate Foundation, owned by Connie Casey, weren't ethical. Upon the awakening, the former volunteer of the foundation tipped off PETA and helped them rescue the animals.
'Chimp Crazy', which premiered on HBO on Sunday, August 18, shows the two extremes of love. On one hand, there are the likes of Tonia Haddix and Connie Casey, who caged several chimps while claiming to love them more than their children. On the other hand, are people like Angela Scott and those part of PETA, who believe that animals deserve freedom as much as humans do.
Exploring Angela Scott's chilling revelations about Connie Casey's foundation for chimps
Angela Scott's heart broke when she saw the terrible conditions in which the chimps were kept at Connie Casey's foundation. Their cages were cleaned once a week and the animals lived amid excessive trash and debris. They were fed old produce and some were even kept in solitary confinement.
Scott also realized the dangers of keeping the wild animals among the humans and highlighted an incident when a baby chimp jumped and grabbed a toddler's foot at a party. In the HBO series, she also mentioned how a chimp named Bo attacked Mike Casey, biting his nose.
"Scott described how Casey’s ex-husband 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.
Angela Scott collaborated with PETA to rescue the chimps
Angela Scott tipped off PETA about the abuse inflicted upon the chimps at Casey's foundation. Even though she felt that Casey genuinely loved the chimps, she realized that the definition of love was different for both of them.
PETA heard Scott's concern and asked her to gather evidence from the foundation. She recorded the filthy condition in which the chimps were kept. It helped PETA file a lawsuit against Casey in 2017, asking for the transfer of the chimps to a better habitat.
After a court battle that lasted several years, PETA, with the help of Scott, was able to save the chimps. The court ordered the transfer of seven chimps from the foundation to an animal sanctuary in Florida, as shown in 'Chimp Crazy' Episode 1.
How to stream 'Chimp Crazy'?
'Chimp Crazy' is directed by Eric Goode, an Emmy-nominated filmmaker, and conservationist known for directing 'Tiger King'. The first episode of the docuseries premiered on Max, on Sunday, August 18.
The remaining three episodes of 'Chimp Crazy' will release on Max on August 25, September 1, and September 8.
'Chimp Crazy' trailer
