SUNRISE BEACH, Mo.— Tonia Haddix, star of HBO’s "Chimp Crazy" docuseries, is required to close her roadside zoo in Sunrise Beach and stop selling animals. The Department of Agriculture terminated her federal license on March 13, saying she is unfit to keep animals under the Animal Welfare Act.

“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,” says PETA Foundation General Counsel Brittany Peet. “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.”

Haddix kept and sold chimpanzees and other exotic animals from the Missouri facility for more than 3 years. Court documents show she owned seven chimpanzees in 2021, until a consent decree required four be transferred to a sanctuary. After Haddix failed to meet those terms twice, six chimpanzees were removed from her care in July 2021. A month later, she submitted a sworn declaration that the seventh chimpanzee, Tonka, had died. Federal officials found Tonka alive at Haddix’s property in June 2022, leading Haddix to admit to making a  “false or fraudulent statement” in court. 

According to PETA, Haddix said she planned to work around the termination by conducting business through someone else’s license. The animal advocacy organization is offering a $5,000 reward to anyone who presents evidence of her license circumvention that leads to federal liability or criminal conviction. 

According to PETA, the termination goes into effect on April 22 unless Haddix appeals the order.