‘Tiger King’ Director Unleashes ‘Chimp Crazy’: A Docuseries That’s Bananas
Eric Goode, co-director of the wildly popular “Tiger King,” is back with another exotic animal docuseries titled “Chimp Crazy.” This time, he dives into the intriguing and often bizarre world of “monkey moms”—people who keep monkeys and chimpanzees as pets and treat them like their own children.
Goode, who is also the founder of the Turtle Conservancy, was drawn to the unique story of women who not only care for these primates but also live with them as if they were human children. The new HBO four-part docuseries, premiering Sunday at 10 EDT/PDT and streaming weekly on Max, introduces viewers to various characters, including Pam Rosaire, a trainer who once breastfed a premature chimp to health. However, the true star of the series is Tonia Haddix, a former nurse who became deeply attached to a chimp named Tonka, a former movie star who appeared in films like “George of the Jungle” and “Babe: Pig in the City.”
Haddix, who volunteered at the Missouri Primate Foundation, describes her love for chimps as surpassing anything else in her life, even more than her own children. This intense bond with the chimps, especially with Tonka, forms the emotional core of the series. Goode’s notoriety from “Tiger King” initially made it challenging to gain access to the subjects, so he hired Dwayne Cunningham as a “proxy director” to help secure interviews and access.
“Chimp Crazy” not only explores the deep connections these women have with their primates but also delves into the legal and ethical challenges of keeping wild animals as pets. The series revisits a 2009 incident where a chimpanzee from the Missouri Primate Foundation brutally attacked Charla Nash, leading to a face transplant. It also covers a lawsuit filed by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) against the foundation, which demanded better living conditions for the animals.
As PETA works to relocate the chimps to a sanctuary, Tonka mysteriously goes missing, adding a layer of suspense to the docuseries. While “Chimp Crazy” shares some similarities with “Tiger King,” Goode notes that it is a much more emotional and intimate story, particularly due to the close bonds between the subjects and their primates.
Goode hopes that viewers will come away with a deeper understanding of the complexity and social nature of chimpanzees, whose DNA closely resembles that of humans. “They really are complex social creatures, just like us,” Goode says, underscoring the ethical dilemmas of keeping such animals in captivity.
“Chimp Crazy” offers a compelling and often heartbreaking look at the world of exotic pet ownership, revealing both the deep affection and the inherent dangers of trying to domesticate wild animals.
