The woman who once cared for seven chimpanzees at the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation south of Festus may soon lose her animal dealer license.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture on March 13 issued a motion that orders the “termination” of Haddix’s Animal Welfare Act license, which allows her to broker and transport infant monkeys and other wild animals in addition to operating her roadside animal zoo in Sunrise Beach.
Haddix has until April 22 to appeal the order, which was issued by Administrative Law Judge Tierney Carlos. If she doesn’t appeal or loses her appeal, Haddix will not be allowed to apply for a new license for at least two years, according to USDA documents.
Haddix was the last owner of seven chimps – Tonka, Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry – who lived at the Festus-area facility formerly known as Chimparty, which provided chimps for parties, television ads and movies. The chimps previously belonged to Connie Casey, who transferred ownership of the animals to Haddix in an attempt to end a lawsuit the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals filed against her in 2016.
She was the focus of the HBO docuseries “Chimp Crazy.”
The March 13 ruling comes after an administrative lawsuit in November accused her of lying in federal court about Tonka’s death and arguing that her actions made her unfit to hold an animal welfare license.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office on Dec. 16 accepted the court’s requests to prosecute Haddix for criminal contempt and to investigate her for perjury.
The nine-year legal battle between Haddix and PETA seemed to be concluded July 2021 when a federal judge ordered Haddix to give up ownership of the seven chimps and allow PETA to transfer them to the Center of Great Apes in Wauchula, Fla. The order came after the judge ruled Haddix had not followed a consent decree she had reached with PETA, which would have allowed her to retain ownership and care for Crystal, Mikayla and Tonka.
Crystal, Mikayla, Tammy, Connor, Candy and Kerry were transferred from the Festus-area facility to the Florida sanctuary on July 28, 2021. Tonka also was supposed to be transferred that day, but Haddix said Tonka died May 24, 2021, after suffering a stroke or heart attack. Haddix was ordered by the court to show proof of Tonka’s death, but the proof she provided was not acceptable, PETA said in a court filing.
Tonka, who is best known for his role in the 1997 film “Buddy” with Alan Cumming, was discovered to be alive and living with Haddix in June 2022. The chimp was then transported to the Florida sanctuary.
Haddix has twice been held in civil contempt, but she has not paid any of the court ordered fines. She also was ordered in March 2023 to pay $224,404.24 in attorney fees to PETA, according to court documents.
“Tonia Haddix locked a highly social chimpanzee inside a tiny cage in her basement and repeatedly lied under oath to keep him in her clutches,” PETA lawyer Brittany Peet said in a statement. “The USDA did the right thing to stop Haddix from hurting more animals, and PETA will ensure she stays on the right side of the law or else face the consequences.”
Click to read past Leader coverage on the events that led to "Chimp Crazy."