Tonka, Chimp Star of ‘George of the Jungle,’ Found Alive One Year After Owner Faked His Death
thewrap.compress release from PETA, Haddix “falsely and perjuriously claimed under oath that he had died prior to the transfer” of heart failure following a stroke.
Haddix went so far as to submit court documents describing how Tonka’s body had been cremated in a fire pit, Rolling Stone reported.However, conflicting reports about the body’s disposal and a whistleblower who revealed that Haddix had said the chimp was still alive last August furthered PETA’s suspicions.
By January 2022, a judge ruled that Haddix’s account was not credible. A few months later, PETA and Cumming pooled together a $20,000 reward for anyone who had information about the star’s whereabouts.Their effort paid off when PETA obtained a recording of a phone call in which Haddix “asserted that Tonka was still alive but would be euthanized on June 2.” The nonprofit filed an emergency temporary restraining order to stop Haddix from going forward with the euthanization or from moving him out of her Clever, Missouri property.
When authorities arrived at her home, they found Tonka alive and in the company of “a 60-inch TV” and an “interactive iPad-like touch device,” Rolling Stone learned.
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