Fort Pierce - Tuesday June 7, 2022: Tonka, the famous 38-year-old chimpanzee was freed from his basement cage Sunday and arrived safely at his new home Monday, the 'Save the Chimps' sanctuary in Fort Pierce.
Tonka is a 38-year-old chimpanzee who has been the subject of a legal tug-of-war between a now-shuttered breeding compound in Missouri and People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals [PETA].
“We are thrilled to welcome Tonka out of a basement and into the sunshine,” said 'Save the Chimps' CEO Ana Paula Tavares. “Our care team looks forward to helping him bond with other chimps so he can enjoy more of a life as nature intended.”
Tonka appeared in George of the Jungle with Brendan Fraser and Buddy with Alan Cumming, who has been actively fighting for Tonka’s release to 'Save the Chimps'. Cumming visited 'Save the Chimps' this past spring.
Chimps are used in movies only while they are infants. Once they reach sexual maturity at age 6 or 7, they rebel against trainers and are often sold to breeders or roadside zoos where they usually remain caged in solitary confinement.
Tonka’s rescue follows a years-long legal battle between PETA and the private owner of a chimpanzee breeding compound in Missouri that a judge declared substandard. PETA was granted permission to rescue Tonka, but when the group came to carry out the court’s order last July, Tonka had vanished. Tonka's former caretaker Tonia Haddix falsely claimed that he had died. In response, PETA launched a nationwide search for the chimpanzee’s whereabouts that included help from his former co-star Alan Cumming. Tonka was was eventually found living in Haddix’s Missouri home.
'Save the Chimps' has made a lifelong commitment to care for chimpanzees. The annual cost for one chimpanzee is $25,000. They often live into their 40s or 50s, making this a three to four decade long commitment to provide care.
Click on this link if you wish to make a donation to 'Save the Chimps', a 501(c)(3) charitable organization whose mission is to provide sanctuary and exemplary care to chimpanzees in need.