Is the Craze for Chimps Justified?

The latest exotic animal documentary series, Chimp Crazy, directed by Eric Goode, delves into the niche of exotic animal ownership — oftentimes a thin line between fascination and obsession. When first hearing about Chimp Crazy, I also stared at the line between being interested and unmoved. I had heard about Tonka the chimp, though I had no further knowledge about the series. The series specifically focuses on Tonia Haddix, a woman who is infatuated with the intelligence and human-like characteristics of chimpanzees. Haddix is a passionate individual who is well-intentioned in keeping chimpanzees as pets. Though, what quickly surfaces are both her methods and lack of understanding of the animals in captivity, making it an intriguing watch as to how such matters will be dealt with.

In the opening episode on Max, the story appears to be well-written and credited with primary sources, have an excellent display in mood differentiation and timely pacing. With the topic of animal ownership and treatment to be discussed, using primary sources of information to understand where the craze began felt necessary. Chimp Crazy talked to individuals deeply connected to the inception of Tonia Haddix’s passion for chimpanzees, such as Connie Casey. Though not featured in further episodes, the inclusion brings a sense of credibility and effort. Including more sources could have added more context which viewers may desire when the topic is so niche and opinionated.

The series is opinionated, especially in terms of animal treatment and does a great job contrasting its glorified side to ominous side, with the love for chimpanzees on one end while the other sees a battle for chimpanzee ownership. Haddix’s perspective of nurturing and developing a loving bond between herself and chimpanzees is met with opposition and concerns from animal rights activists. A great decision by the producers is the inclusion of music, or rather the lack thereof, especially in the emotionally serious scenes which focus on the wellbeing and lawfulness of the chimpanzees’ care.

For Tonia Haddix, she believes what she is doing for the chimpanzees, sheltering, feeding and interacting with them from youth, is both valuable and benevolent for her to do. Her first enemy in the docuseries is Alan Cumming of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, a non-profit organization advocating for animal rights, who believes Haddix’s methods of caring for chimpanzees need to be addressed. Within the documentary, PETA sues the Missouri Primate Foundation that Haddix works for. Spoiler alert: They negotiate a consent agreement, further argue conditions, go to court, Haddix loses, chimpanzees are taken from the facility, chimpanzees go missing, and the story continues. And while content such as this is occurring on screen, Haddix is probably off screen lengthening her lashes, filling her lips or loving chimpanzees more than her own, human, children.

Chimp Crazy ends the first episode altering the story into a mystery of “what happened to Tonka the chimp?” Cliffhanger endings for a pilot episode can be a reason to come back or to withdraw. In the case of Chimp Crazy, I think the shift in narrative is more natural and timed correctly. Though being a series which may leave many animal lovers disgusted, its direct approach to any and all issues such as the mistreatment of the chimpanzees may leave viewers far from the screen.