Tonka the Chimpanzee Rescued

After faking the death of a chimpanzee named Tonka, notorious animal dealer Tonia Haddix is ordered by the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Missouri to pay nearly $225,000 in attorneys’ fees and costs to PETA after she repeatedly commits perjury and submits false information to the federal court.

When PETA arrived to rescue Tonka and six other chimpanzees pursuant to a federal court order, Haddix had already sent him to Union Ridge Wildlife Center (URWC) in Ohio in an attempt to hide him, while falsely claiming that he had died. Haddix later moved Tonka to a cage in the basement of her Missouri home, where he was ultimately rescued by PETA. When we discovered that URWC’s owner—who is now a convicted felon—and Haddix had illegally imported Tonka into Ohio, we submitted a complaint to state authorities, which opened an investigation that resulted in the rescue of chimpanzees April, Anna, Lucy, and Cash. They were moved to the accredited Save the Chimps sanctuary in Florida, where they explore lush grounds and socialize with others of their kind. PETA also assisted with funding their sanctuary care.