1 00:00:41,082 --> 00:00:43,335 Monkey love is totally different 2 00:00:43,335 --> 00:00:46,463 than the way that you have love for your child. 3 00:00:48,798 --> 00:00:53,470 If it's your natural born child, it's just natural because you actually, 4 00:00:53,470 --> 00:00:55,013 you know, gave birth to that kid. 5 00:00:55,013 --> 00:01:01,436 But when you adopt a monkey, the bond is much, much deeper. 6 00:01:03,480 --> 00:01:07,650 Baby, hey, look at you. What are you doing? 7 00:01:07,984 --> 00:01:09,736 - Hey. - Hey. 8 00:01:11,363 --> 00:01:13,740 Human children are meant to grow up 9 00:01:13,740 --> 00:01:17,410 and build bonds with other people in society. 10 00:01:17,410 --> 00:01:19,871 But not chimpanzees. 11 00:01:19,871 --> 00:01:21,164 Look at that little chimp. 12 00:01:22,207 --> 00:01:24,709 Their mother is their whole life. 13 00:01:26,461 --> 00:01:31,132 And that primate feels that way about you, because you become their mother. 14 00:01:41,726 --> 00:01:45,188 I'm sorry, there is nothing like holding, loving, 15 00:01:45,188 --> 00:01:46,731 being around a chimp. 16 00:01:46,731 --> 00:01:48,400 Tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle, tickle... 17 00:01:48,400 --> 00:01:50,360 It's the best thing since peanut butter. 18 00:01:52,654 --> 00:01:54,864 I can't explain it, 19 00:01:54,864 --> 00:01:57,826 'cause it's like something that you just don't ever feel. 20 00:01:59,744 --> 00:02:00,870 It's so empowering. 21 00:02:02,163 --> 00:02:03,873 They are just like us. 22 00:02:07,794 --> 00:02:09,337 Especially Tonka. 23 00:02:11,381 --> 00:02:12,465 Kiss. 24 00:02:14,384 --> 00:02:18,680 Thank you. He's a good boy, a good boy. 25 00:02:18,680 --> 00:02:21,307 Tonka and I just found each other. 26 00:02:21,307 --> 00:02:24,060 And Tonka loved me as much as I love Tonka. 27 00:02:27,272 --> 00:02:30,150 It was meant to be, it was just natural. 28 00:02:30,150 --> 00:02:32,235 It's like your love for God. 29 00:02:33,528 --> 00:02:37,157 And I'll do anything to protect that primate, anything. 30 00:02:45,999 --> 00:02:48,543 A fight over chimpanzees should be over. 31 00:02:48,543 --> 00:02:51,129 The chimpanzee lady now making national news. 32 00:02:51,129 --> 00:02:52,630 They're gonna have to bring sheriffs and they're gonna have 33 00:02:52,630 --> 00:02:53,757 to bring everything that they can. 34 00:02:55,383 --> 00:02:58,011 I would give anything that I have possession-wise up 35 00:02:58,011 --> 00:02:59,304 for that child. 36 00:02:59,888 --> 00:03:01,806 I would give my life for him. 37 00:03:06,144 --> 00:03:09,731 And that's exactly what I did, to be honest. 38 00:03:45,350 --> 00:03:47,477 There it is. 39 00:03:54,651 --> 00:03:56,861 No, stop it. It's okay. 40 00:04:41,406 --> 00:04:45,869 My dad asked me what I wanted to do with the rest of my life. 41 00:04:47,245 --> 00:04:51,374 I said, I wanna be the world's most famous chimpanzee trainer. 42 00:04:51,374 --> 00:04:53,335 - How old were you? - Seven. 43 00:05:02,385 --> 00:05:05,472 My ancestors were all circus people. 44 00:05:05,472 --> 00:05:08,183 So, I couldn't just have one chimp, you know? 45 00:05:08,183 --> 00:05:11,895 You had to have at least three, because then it was an act. 46 00:05:14,898 --> 00:05:19,361 Chimps have a very long life. They have the same lifespan that we do. 47 00:05:19,361 --> 00:05:21,071 So, I picked the right trade. 48 00:05:23,156 --> 00:05:25,950 I'm still performing with my chimps. 49 00:05:25,950 --> 00:05:28,995 (announcer, indistinct) 50 00:05:28,995 --> 00:05:30,413 Thank you very much! 51 00:05:36,336 --> 00:05:38,129 Chimps are amazing. 52 00:05:38,129 --> 00:05:41,341 They can do just about anything they want to 53 00:05:41,341 --> 00:05:43,885 because they have our intelligence. 54 00:05:47,472 --> 00:05:50,892 They're calculating, they watch every move you make. 55 00:05:50,892 --> 00:05:53,895 They learn to read people. They know what you say. 56 00:05:53,895 --> 00:05:56,773 Every word you say, they understand it. 57 00:05:56,773 --> 00:05:59,651 Somebody's trying to get a beer on the back of the truck here. 58 00:06:02,362 --> 00:06:04,406 No! Don't do that. 59 00:06:06,950 --> 00:06:08,576 Punch. Punch! Punch! 60 00:06:08,576 --> 00:06:12,038 They are 98.4 human DNA. 61 00:06:13,832 --> 00:06:17,544 So, therefore, they are our closest living relative. 62 00:06:18,628 --> 00:06:20,046 They're my kids. 63 00:06:21,131 --> 00:06:23,633 And they're always gonna be my kids. 64 00:06:28,054 --> 00:06:33,226 Years ago, I had a baby chimp born two months premature. 65 00:06:33,226 --> 00:06:37,022 Premature baby chimps cannot digest formula. 66 00:06:37,814 --> 00:06:39,482 And he wasn't doing good. 67 00:06:40,608 --> 00:06:42,027 He was dying. 68 00:06:44,362 --> 00:06:49,993 But I just had my daughter, Dallas, so I did what came natural. 69 00:06:49,993 --> 00:06:53,955 He's a baby that needs feeding, feed it, you know? 70 00:06:56,833 --> 00:06:57,917 I come in one day 71 00:06:57,917 --> 00:07:02,881 and she's got Dallas on one booby and the chimp on the other. 72 00:07:02,881 --> 00:07:05,675 And I go, "Whoa, what are you doing?" 73 00:07:07,886 --> 00:07:10,680 I really didn't know what I was doing. 74 00:07:10,680 --> 00:07:13,516 And then, to have two of 'em it's like twins, really. 75 00:07:13,516 --> 00:07:16,311 Next thing you know, it's in the "Enquirer," 76 00:07:16,311 --> 00:07:23,276 and then "Star," and oh, my God. "Baby chimp saved by breastfeeding mum." 77 00:07:25,820 --> 00:07:28,365 One for you and one for you. 78 00:07:28,365 --> 00:07:31,785 He was very gentle. He was very kind. 79 00:07:33,411 --> 00:07:35,830 No, this is the same. 80 00:07:35,830 --> 00:07:38,291 We were like brother and sister so much 81 00:07:38,291 --> 00:07:44,673 that the instant that a boy would like me, he knew and he would be mean to that boy. 82 00:07:44,673 --> 00:07:46,508 He would throw poop at him. 83 00:07:48,301 --> 00:07:52,138 I can't imagine my life without him. It would have been very different. 84 00:07:56,810 --> 00:07:58,687 Monkey, monkey, monkey! 85 00:07:58,687 --> 00:08:00,522 To me, they're my life. 86 00:08:00,522 --> 00:08:04,192 They're my life's love. They were my first love. 87 00:08:05,193 --> 00:08:08,279 I wouldn't want to have my life without a chimp in it. 88 00:08:10,240 --> 00:08:12,951 I love you. I love you with everything I got. 89 00:08:12,951 --> 00:08:15,245 Go ahead, you can have your drink. 90 00:08:18,623 --> 00:08:19,916 Yes! 91 00:08:26,715 --> 00:08:31,261 For a long time, it was Connie Casey. She has chimpanzees. 92 00:08:32,554 --> 00:08:36,141 But it's too bad, because it's the end of a dynasty. 93 00:08:38,685 --> 00:08:43,898 She lives in Festus, Missouri and she doesn't want the attention. 94 00:08:45,900 --> 00:08:47,736 Missouri is one of the few states 95 00:08:47,736 --> 00:08:52,323 where you can do pretty much anything with animals. 96 00:08:56,578 --> 00:08:59,539 There are exotic animal auctions 97 00:08:59,539 --> 00:09:03,418 and very few restrictions on the kinds of things 98 00:09:03,418 --> 00:09:07,088 that are not allowed elsewhere, 99 00:09:07,088 --> 00:09:11,926 including what Connie Casey was doing big time, 100 00:09:11,926 --> 00:09:17,974 which was breeding chimpanzees at her enclave, 101 00:09:17,974 --> 00:09:21,102 Missouri Primate Foundation. 102 00:09:21,102 --> 00:09:24,022 Back in 2010, I was the last journalist 103 00:09:24,022 --> 00:09:25,982 who talked with Connie. 104 00:09:30,278 --> 00:09:31,237 Oh, yeah. Oh, sure. 105 00:09:32,906 --> 00:09:37,285 I've been documenting exotic animal people for over 15 years. 106 00:09:37,285 --> 00:09:39,162 This is the monkey's closet. 107 00:09:40,455 --> 00:09:42,165 So this is formal wear. 108 00:09:42,165 --> 00:09:44,167 The monkeys have more clothing than I have. 109 00:09:44,167 --> 00:09:46,002 - Really? - Yeah. 110 00:09:46,002 --> 00:09:47,170 - Are you sure? - Really, yeah. 111 00:09:47,170 --> 00:09:49,214 I don't have this many shirts. 112 00:09:49,214 --> 00:09:51,049 Ay, que linda. 113 00:09:51,049 --> 00:09:52,884 Exotic animal people are generally distrustful 114 00:09:52,884 --> 00:09:54,761 of outsiders. 115 00:09:56,429 --> 00:10:01,601 I've been an animal person my entire life, so gaining access to this community 116 00:10:01,601 --> 00:10:03,019 has been pretty easy for me. 117 00:10:03,770 --> 00:10:06,022 But this time, it's different. 118 00:10:07,065 --> 00:10:09,442 In 2020, I made "Tiger King." 119 00:10:09,442 --> 00:10:11,361 And do you wear these yourself? 120 00:10:11,361 --> 00:10:12,821 I don't wear underwear. 121 00:10:12,821 --> 00:10:15,740 - You don't wear underwear? - No, free ball it. 122 00:10:17,158 --> 00:10:19,661 "Tiger King" shined a spotlight on this community 123 00:10:19,661 --> 00:10:21,413 and it wasn't favorable. 124 00:10:21,413 --> 00:10:23,081 That's a brand-new shirt. 125 00:10:24,332 --> 00:10:26,042 And now, people like Connie Casey, 126 00:10:26,042 --> 00:10:28,545 for the most part, don't want anything to do with me. 127 00:10:28,545 --> 00:10:30,005 - Hey. - Hey. 128 00:10:30,005 --> 00:10:32,924 I'm on the road to Connie Casey's. 129 00:10:32,924 --> 00:10:36,761 I don't know, this doesn't look too friendly. 130 00:10:36,761 --> 00:10:37,971 I think I'm gonna go 131 00:10:37,971 --> 00:10:40,432 and think about this for a minute. 132 00:10:43,601 --> 00:10:46,646 So, for this project, I had to hire a proxy director 133 00:10:46,646 --> 00:10:48,356 to go undercover. 134 00:10:48,356 --> 00:10:49,607 Alright, so listen. 135 00:10:51,067 --> 00:10:52,235 I'll follow you guys. 136 00:10:52,235 --> 00:10:53,778 - Okay. - But I'll be discreet. 137 00:10:53,778 --> 00:10:55,697 - You won't see-- - My car's discreet, okay? 138 00:10:55,697 --> 00:10:56,906 - Okay. - Alright. 139 00:11:00,035 --> 00:11:00,910 This is our exit. 140 00:11:06,416 --> 00:11:08,084 - See this fence? - Yep! 141 00:11:08,084 --> 00:11:09,836 - Yep, that's it. - That's it. 142 00:11:47,874 --> 00:11:49,542 - Good morning. - Good morning. 143 00:11:49,542 --> 00:11:50,669 How are you? 144 00:11:55,340 --> 00:11:57,342 - 3:30, you said? - Yeah, 3:30. 145 00:11:58,009 --> 00:11:59,135 Hello? 146 00:12:01,137 --> 00:12:02,222 Can you hear me? 147 00:12:05,517 --> 00:12:07,102 Well, I'm Tonia Haddix. 148 00:12:07,102 --> 00:12:10,397 Basically, I'm a nurse from St. Louis, Missouri. 149 00:12:10,397 --> 00:12:14,401 I came down here to Missouri Primate Foundation 150 00:12:14,401 --> 00:12:17,737 to help Connie Casey preserve the chimpanzees 151 00:12:17,737 --> 00:12:19,114 that she still held. 152 00:12:20,573 --> 00:12:23,743 Connie is a legacy. She has a legacy that is greater 153 00:12:23,743 --> 00:12:25,787 than anybody could ever, ever imagine. 154 00:12:26,538 --> 00:12:31,668 She is a world-renowned chimp person, basically responsible for three-quarters 155 00:12:31,668 --> 00:12:33,753 of the captive-bred chimps 156 00:12:33,753 --> 00:12:36,006 that are here in the United States currently. 157 00:12:40,385 --> 00:12:44,889 So, I don't know where your best view would be to film, 158 00:12:44,889 --> 00:12:46,349 is what I guess I'm asking. 159 00:12:46,349 --> 00:12:47,726 There's Connie now. 160 00:12:52,689 --> 00:12:53,898 No, wait. 161 00:12:55,400 --> 00:12:57,610 I don't want her overwhelmed with everything. 162 00:13:08,079 --> 00:13:10,165 Hey, you come here. 163 00:13:10,165 --> 00:13:13,168 I know I don't know your name, and I know that sounds rude. 164 00:13:15,170 --> 00:13:19,466 Connie, I'm Dwayne Cunningham. It's a pleasure and honor to meet you. 165 00:13:19,466 --> 00:13:22,469 We just thought people needed to hear your story, 166 00:13:22,469 --> 00:13:26,931 and at the very least we can get it out in the court of public opinion. 167 00:13:28,224 --> 00:13:29,768 Maybe you have the wrong credentials 168 00:13:29,768 --> 00:13:32,937 for a million things, but for this, Dwayne, 169 00:13:32,937 --> 00:13:38,610 it's almost like not playing a role at all 'cause you know this world. 170 00:13:38,610 --> 00:13:40,070 You have no idea. 171 00:13:41,654 --> 00:13:44,657 Ringling Brothers and Barnum... 172 00:13:44,657 --> 00:13:46,451 I went to Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey 173 00:13:46,451 --> 00:13:50,121 Circus Clown College, class of 1975. 174 00:13:50,121 --> 00:13:53,333 I got to work with their animals every day. 175 00:13:56,461 --> 00:14:01,091 And then I became involved in the animal industry 176 00:14:01,091 --> 00:14:03,551 for pretty much my entire life. 177 00:14:03,551 --> 00:14:06,346 Hi, I'm Dr. Wasabi, and I know what you're thinking. 178 00:14:06,346 --> 00:14:07,681 "Penguins?" 179 00:14:07,681 --> 00:14:11,518 Also, I've had a relationship 180 00:14:11,518 --> 00:14:14,771 with the federal government over exotic animals. 181 00:14:16,523 --> 00:14:18,942 So, when you called me and said, 182 00:14:18,942 --> 00:14:23,363 "Be the point person, get inside and see what was going on," 183 00:14:23,363 --> 00:14:25,782 I mean, that's right up my alley. 184 00:14:25,782 --> 00:14:27,867 - You're gonna look great. - Oh, thank you. 185 00:14:28,952 --> 00:14:32,706 Once they knew my background, 186 00:14:32,706 --> 00:14:36,501 they weren't skeptical of my presence. 187 00:15:26,468 --> 00:15:29,346 - I don't wanna be on camera. - Sure. 188 00:15:29,346 --> 00:15:32,599 At that point, it seemed like Connie Casey was like, exhausted. 189 00:15:32,599 --> 00:15:35,143 Exhausted physically, exhausted mentally. 190 00:15:36,728 --> 00:15:41,566 But Tonia comes in, and the more I listened to her... 191 00:15:46,863 --> 00:15:50,825 ...the more I thought, "It's a love story." 192 00:15:54,746 --> 00:15:56,664 She does really good work. 193 00:15:57,957 --> 00:16:02,045 Her stuff looks natural instead of it looking really crazy. 194 00:16:02,045 --> 00:16:04,923 'Cause I could go crazy, you guys know that. 195 00:16:07,759 --> 00:16:10,387 Everybody compares me to Dolly. 196 00:16:10,387 --> 00:16:14,391 I don't know why. But they do. 197 00:16:14,391 --> 00:16:17,352 I'm the Dolly Parton of the chimps. 198 00:16:17,352 --> 00:16:19,646 Or I'm the crazy monkey lady. Whatever. 199 00:16:23,942 --> 00:16:26,653 I owned capuchin monkeys for about 20 years. 200 00:16:27,904 --> 00:16:31,866 I love the capuchins, but I had always wanted a chimp. 201 00:16:33,118 --> 00:16:35,203 A chimp's even way better than a capuchin. 202 00:16:35,203 --> 00:16:37,914 You can shape them into being you. 203 00:16:40,375 --> 00:16:41,793 So, I was like, "You know what? 204 00:16:41,793 --> 00:16:47,048 "I can afford one and my kids are grown, so let's try to find a baby chimp." 205 00:16:48,842 --> 00:16:52,595 Connie Casey was offering chimp encounters. 206 00:16:54,180 --> 00:16:56,224 So, I had made an appointment. 207 00:16:59,144 --> 00:17:03,023 It was the most rewarding and most amazing experience I ever had. 208 00:17:05,525 --> 00:17:09,279 I wanted to go back. I was ready to go pay 300 more dollars. 209 00:17:12,240 --> 00:17:14,451 Connie lived the life that I would love to have lived. 210 00:17:14,451 --> 00:17:17,829 I mean, she's my idol, and she needed help. 211 00:17:19,956 --> 00:17:22,584 So, I was just gonna volunteer one day a week. 212 00:17:22,584 --> 00:17:24,794 And so, then it ended up three or four days, 213 00:17:24,794 --> 00:17:27,088 and then it ended up five days, and then it ended up-- 214 00:17:27,088 --> 00:17:28,256 I didn't go home for months. 215 00:17:29,257 --> 00:17:32,135 Then I ended up actually moving up here on property 216 00:17:32,135 --> 00:17:34,596 25 feet from the chimps. 217 00:17:34,596 --> 00:17:37,557 Chimps are my whole thing. 218 00:17:37,557 --> 00:17:40,560 And thank God I went to Connie's five years ago, 219 00:17:40,560 --> 00:17:43,313 or I never would have ever known. 220 00:17:43,313 --> 00:17:46,733 That's the only time in my life that I've ever been happy. 221 00:17:48,568 --> 00:17:53,531 I'm 53 years old, and them five years was the best five years of my life. 222 00:18:27,107 --> 00:18:28,692 Oh, it's okay. 223 00:18:35,323 --> 00:18:36,408 No? 224 00:18:44,958 --> 00:18:48,169 We've got seven chimpanzees at the facility, 225 00:18:48,169 --> 00:18:51,464 and each chimp is so individualistic, just like humans. 226 00:18:52,674 --> 00:18:55,135 Connor is the Hallmark Greeting Card Chimp. 227 00:18:55,135 --> 00:18:57,345 Born and bred at Connie's facility, 228 00:18:57,345 --> 00:18:59,389 so he's never lived anyplace else. 229 00:18:59,389 --> 00:19:01,349 Then, we have Tammy, 230 00:19:01,349 --> 00:19:02,684 Kerry, 231 00:19:02,684 --> 00:19:07,647 Mikayla, Candy, Crystal. 232 00:19:07,647 --> 00:19:09,399 And then, there's Tonka. 233 00:19:11,276 --> 00:19:14,279 Tonka did a lot of movies like "George of the Jungle" 234 00:19:14,279 --> 00:19:16,281 and "Babe: Pig in the City." 235 00:19:20,785 --> 00:19:22,078 It's okay... 236 00:19:23,705 --> 00:19:24,914 See how-- as you notice, 237 00:19:24,914 --> 00:19:28,668 they gravitate to what they feel secure, so... 238 00:19:28,668 --> 00:19:31,755 - You're the mom. - Yeah, I'm the second mom. 239 00:19:31,755 --> 00:19:33,715 Connie's the first mom, but yeah. 240 00:19:35,008 --> 00:19:37,635 I've begged her to please, please, let's write a book, 241 00:19:37,635 --> 00:19:40,013 to get her legacy down. 242 00:19:41,598 --> 00:19:45,018 Connie's very closed, but slowly but surely, 243 00:19:45,018 --> 00:19:47,896 I found out a lot about Connie and the chimps. 244 00:19:50,982 --> 00:19:53,610 She got her first chimp in 1972. 245 00:19:53,610 --> 00:19:57,697 His name was Coco. He was wild caught from Africa. 246 00:19:57,697 --> 00:20:02,452 We would sit in a circle, my husband and I, and my three kids, 247 00:20:02,452 --> 00:20:07,165 with little pieces of peanut, or raisin, or something in our mouth. 248 00:20:07,165 --> 00:20:09,459 And he would just gently take it out of our mouth 249 00:20:09,459 --> 00:20:11,336 with his lips. 250 00:20:11,336 --> 00:20:14,255 We got a second chimp about a year and a half later. 251 00:20:14,255 --> 00:20:16,716 Back then, it was easier to get 'em. 252 00:20:17,801 --> 00:20:21,137 Coco and Bridget had their first baby, Bo, 253 00:20:21,137 --> 00:20:24,265 and then they just had multiple babies. 254 00:20:26,184 --> 00:20:29,646 As chimps get a little bit older, they become harder to handle. 255 00:20:32,607 --> 00:20:36,194 So, people would contact Connie and say, "Hey, you know, I've got this chimp. 256 00:20:36,194 --> 00:20:38,196 Are you interested in housing it?" 257 00:20:39,614 --> 00:20:43,159 Little did I know that years later I'd have a house full of chimps. 258 00:20:45,829 --> 00:20:47,997 Give me a kiss, give me some, give me some. 259 00:20:47,997 --> 00:20:49,290 Give me some kisses. 260 00:20:51,459 --> 00:20:54,879 I first started working with Connie in 2001. 261 00:20:56,589 --> 00:20:58,425 It was very surreal. 262 00:21:00,218 --> 00:21:01,970 Immediately, I was in love. 263 00:21:03,722 --> 00:21:05,598 And I just knew that that was what I wanted to do. 264 00:21:05,598 --> 00:21:07,017 I wanted to work there. 265 00:21:07,017 --> 00:21:08,476 Hey, sweetie pie. 266 00:21:10,228 --> 00:21:13,690 Connie was breeding and selling chimps as pets, 267 00:21:13,690 --> 00:21:16,776 And every year, they would keep one. 268 00:21:18,903 --> 00:21:23,074 That's what they would use for commercials or movies. 269 00:21:23,074 --> 00:21:25,201 Did either of you stop and think about us? 270 00:21:25,201 --> 00:21:27,078 That's all I've been thinking about, Pops. 271 00:21:27,078 --> 00:21:29,497 Yeah, you too, Chim Chim. 272 00:21:29,497 --> 00:21:31,374 I know of at least four generations, 273 00:21:31,374 --> 00:21:35,045 if not five generations of Connie's chimps in Hollywood. 274 00:21:35,045 --> 00:21:36,338 What in the hell? 275 00:21:36,338 --> 00:21:38,048 You have to make sure to burp him. 276 00:21:38,048 --> 00:21:39,591 He's just like a little baby. 277 00:21:40,342 --> 00:21:43,887 When she remarried and Mike Casey 278 00:21:43,887 --> 00:21:47,307 came into the picture, it just kind of grew. 279 00:21:47,307 --> 00:21:49,142 I'd like to thank our special guest, 280 00:21:49,142 --> 00:21:52,270 Kirby from Chimparty, and Mike. 281 00:21:52,270 --> 00:21:54,189 He's the one that came up with the idea 282 00:21:54,189 --> 00:21:58,109 to do the Hollywood stuff and the Chimparty chimps. 283 00:21:59,694 --> 00:22:01,571 The monkey theme of Brittany Staub's 284 00:22:01,571 --> 00:22:04,366 12th birthday party just climbed to new heights. 285 00:22:04,366 --> 00:22:08,495 For a fee, Connie Casey, who owns a company called Chimparty, 286 00:22:08,495 --> 00:22:11,915 will show up at your party with a baby chimp. 287 00:22:20,799 --> 00:22:23,510 They made a lot of money. 288 00:22:23,510 --> 00:22:25,136 There's three great apes, the gorilla, 289 00:22:25,136 --> 00:22:28,056 the orangutan, and the chimpanzee. 290 00:22:28,056 --> 00:22:30,892 That's how they were able to build big enclosures. 291 00:22:33,103 --> 00:22:37,357 We hope to become a sanctuary and kind of a place for them to live. 292 00:22:38,233 --> 00:22:43,530 The most expensive undertaking is this $350,000 facility. 293 00:22:44,489 --> 00:22:47,575 It's Connie and Mike's dream to provide this natural habitat. 294 00:22:55,250 --> 00:22:57,419 These are Hallmark or American Greeting cards 295 00:22:57,419 --> 00:23:01,673 that Connor did when he was a juvenile. 296 00:23:01,673 --> 00:23:05,760 He did a lot of greeting cards for, like I said, 297 00:23:05,760 --> 00:23:07,595 Hallmark and American Greeting. 298 00:23:07,595 --> 00:23:09,014 Yes. 299 00:23:09,014 --> 00:23:12,267 And a lot of 'em, if you flip 'em over on the back-- 300 00:23:12,267 --> 00:23:15,103 Now, this is American Greetings, so it doesn't say it, 301 00:23:15,103 --> 00:23:18,064 but, like, the Hallmark greeting cards. 302 00:23:18,064 --> 00:23:21,067 I always tell everybody, if you're gonna buy a chimp card, 303 00:23:21,067 --> 00:23:22,902 be sure it's a Connor card. 304 00:23:22,902 --> 00:23:25,447 These are all American Greetings. 305 00:23:26,990 --> 00:23:29,534 If you turn them over, on the back, 306 00:23:29,534 --> 00:23:31,828 it'll say "Chimparty Chimp, Festus, Missouri," 307 00:23:31,828 --> 00:23:34,539 so you know it's one of our greeting cards. 308 00:23:34,539 --> 00:23:37,584 "Sorry, he was the only male stripper I could afford. 309 00:23:37,584 --> 00:23:39,544 Happy birthday." 310 00:23:39,544 --> 00:23:41,629 Coming out of a cake. 311 00:23:43,965 --> 00:23:46,009 Actually, coming out of a present. 312 00:23:46,009 --> 00:23:49,137 He's probably the most notorious chimp for-- 313 00:23:49,137 --> 00:23:53,099 as far as greeting cards. He probably did the most. 314 00:23:57,729 --> 00:23:59,898 Snack-wise, they love the licorice. 315 00:24:00,690 --> 00:24:02,233 They love marshmallows. 316 00:24:03,693 --> 00:24:05,403 The drinks is the biggest thing. 317 00:24:13,286 --> 00:24:14,204 I know! 318 00:24:22,921 --> 00:24:25,590 That facility housed 42 chimps at one time. 319 00:24:26,633 --> 00:24:29,636 One time, there was 42 chimps in that facility. 320 00:24:30,470 --> 00:24:32,514 I'm telling you, it's like potato chips. 321 00:24:32,514 --> 00:24:35,684 You can't just have one, and you can't just not have one. 322 00:24:36,810 --> 00:24:41,606 Back then, they had plenty of money to take care of the chimps that they had. 323 00:24:41,606 --> 00:24:44,192 But then, when things started falling out... 324 00:24:47,779 --> 00:24:50,949 You'd have thought James Dean or Leonardo DiCaprio 325 00:24:50,949 --> 00:24:52,867 had just entered the room. 326 00:24:54,994 --> 00:24:57,038 Women were falling all over each other 327 00:24:57,038 --> 00:24:58,748 trying to get close to Kirby. 328 00:25:01,626 --> 00:25:03,545 He's cute, I want to take him home. 329 00:25:05,338 --> 00:25:08,341 I worked for Chimparty for years. 330 00:25:09,384 --> 00:25:12,345 And after seeing the whole thing, 331 00:25:14,556 --> 00:25:18,435 it was not what I thought it was gonna be. 332 00:25:23,148 --> 00:25:26,651 The seven-year-old chimp suddenly grabbed a toddler's foot. 333 00:25:28,945 --> 00:25:31,072 I don't believe Kirby meant any harm by it. 334 00:25:32,323 --> 00:25:33,742 We have never ever had any problem-- 335 00:25:33,742 --> 00:25:35,243 Oh, you want to say hi, too? 336 00:25:35,243 --> 00:25:37,203 We've never ever had any problem with Kirby. 337 00:25:37,203 --> 00:25:39,622 But chimps are chimps, and people are people, 338 00:25:39,622 --> 00:25:43,084 and sometimes in situations, we can be just as dangerous as they are. 339 00:25:47,422 --> 00:25:51,634 I heard a story about a chimp named Bo. 340 00:25:51,634 --> 00:25:57,307 Mike went into Bo's cage, and in the blink of an eye, 341 00:25:57,307 --> 00:26:03,063 Bo ran up, bit his nose off, completely off of his face. 342 00:26:03,063 --> 00:26:07,233 Connie had to go back into the cage and find the nose. 343 00:26:08,651 --> 00:26:11,112 A couple years later, Bo had died. 344 00:26:11,571 --> 00:26:13,490 I asked, "How?" 345 00:26:13,490 --> 00:26:16,534 And Connie said of natural causes. 346 00:26:16,534 --> 00:26:18,244 But he was very young. 347 00:26:24,000 --> 00:26:27,253 There were older chimps that weren't doing parties. 348 00:26:27,253 --> 00:26:28,922 They didn't get a lot of attention. 349 00:26:30,465 --> 00:26:35,303 They sit in a cage and do nothing 350 00:26:35,303 --> 00:26:37,597 all day long. 351 00:26:40,016 --> 00:26:42,936 In my work as a journalist, I've seen a lot. 352 00:26:42,936 --> 00:26:46,606 Disasters, wars, murders. 353 00:26:46,606 --> 00:26:52,612 But nothing prepared me for walking into Connie Casey's compound 354 00:26:52,612 --> 00:26:58,827 and seeing a ghastly prison for chimpanzees. 355 00:26:59,577 --> 00:27:03,123 She was operating the equivalent of a puppy mill. 356 00:27:06,042 --> 00:27:08,962 As there became an awareness of what was going on 357 00:27:08,962 --> 00:27:15,093 at places such as Chimparty, efforts were made to cleanse it, 358 00:27:15,093 --> 00:27:17,178 the equivalent of greenwashing. 359 00:27:18,221 --> 00:27:22,017 Connie did finally decide to go nonprofit 360 00:27:22,017 --> 00:27:27,230 and change Chimparty into Missouri Primate Foundation, 361 00:27:27,230 --> 00:27:29,524 which was a 501(3). 362 00:27:30,817 --> 00:27:32,861 But nothing was different. 363 00:27:34,738 --> 00:27:40,243 I was just overwhelmed with grief. I felt so sorry for the chimps. 364 00:27:41,119 --> 00:27:43,913 I used to talk to the chimps like I'm talking to you, 365 00:27:43,913 --> 00:27:47,792 and I would tell them that, 366 00:27:47,792 --> 00:27:49,711 "Someday, you're not gonna be here anymore." 367 00:27:52,380 --> 00:27:54,674 So, I called PETA. 368 00:28:00,722 --> 00:28:01,931 The animal rights group 369 00:28:01,931 --> 00:28:03,516 People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals 370 00:28:03,516 --> 00:28:06,478 dumping two tons of manure outside the offices 371 00:28:06,478 --> 00:28:09,689 of Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus last night. 372 00:28:11,858 --> 00:28:15,987 PETA's mission is to protect animals from abuse, 373 00:28:15,987 --> 00:28:18,365 neglect, and cruelty, it really is that simple. 374 00:28:18,365 --> 00:28:20,617 For the animals, we will fight! 375 00:28:20,617 --> 00:28:23,286 How does Chrysler sleep at night?! 376 00:28:23,286 --> 00:28:26,581 They're a great inspiration to so many people and so many activists. 377 00:28:26,581 --> 00:28:29,042 I think I'd fuck a croissant. 378 00:28:29,042 --> 00:28:32,420 PETA's got very good, very potent, 379 00:28:32,420 --> 00:28:36,424 and very, you know, eye-catching campaigns. 380 00:28:36,424 --> 00:28:40,095 Set them free. Set them free. 381 00:28:40,095 --> 00:28:42,931 Set them free! Set them free! 382 00:28:42,931 --> 00:28:47,352 In water, humans drown, just as fish suffocate on land. 383 00:28:47,352 --> 00:28:50,689 Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! Shame! 384 00:28:50,689 --> 00:28:54,484 And of course, showing people that activism brings results. 385 00:28:54,484 --> 00:28:58,613 PETA says it finally convinced SeaWorld to end riding on dolphins. 386 00:28:58,613 --> 00:29:02,617 Ringling Brothers will start phasing elephants out of its circus acts. 387 00:29:05,328 --> 00:29:09,374 Like any great successful organization, they are very polarizing. 388 00:29:09,374 --> 00:29:12,210 But if your job is to get people's attention 389 00:29:12,210 --> 00:29:15,630 and to make change about issues that you feel need to be changed... 390 00:29:19,968 --> 00:29:22,053 ...by necessity, you're gonna piss people off. 391 00:29:29,227 --> 00:29:32,981 The Great Ape, forced to perform on television 392 00:29:32,981 --> 00:29:35,150 and in motion pictures for decades. 393 00:29:36,401 --> 00:29:37,902 Could you live this life? 394 00:29:42,741 --> 00:29:44,200 Thank you very much. 395 00:29:44,951 --> 00:29:51,249 I'm here today because 21 years ago I made a film and met this little man. 396 00:29:52,459 --> 00:29:54,878 The film was called "Buddy," and I played... 397 00:29:54,878 --> 00:29:58,173 In 1996, I did a film called "Buddy." 398 00:30:00,842 --> 00:30:03,636 The story of the film is about a woman who has chimps, 399 00:30:03,636 --> 00:30:04,846 but it's really about the fact that, 400 00:30:04,846 --> 00:30:07,307 you know, you can't tame wild things. 401 00:30:07,307 --> 00:30:10,143 You have to let them be themselves. You have to let them go. 402 00:30:10,143 --> 00:30:14,022 Do you know where it is? It's in Joe's ear. 403 00:30:14,022 --> 00:30:16,566 The best thing for me was I just got to cuddle chimps 404 00:30:16,566 --> 00:30:17,609 all day long. 405 00:30:17,609 --> 00:30:24,574 Tonka was one of the chimps, and we just sort of fell in love. 406 00:30:24,574 --> 00:30:26,159 Yeah, now that's much better. 407 00:30:27,535 --> 00:30:30,163 Okay, then. Cheer up, big man. 408 00:30:30,163 --> 00:30:32,457 Every morning, I would walk on the set 409 00:30:32,457 --> 00:30:35,377 and I would see him kind of just so excited to see me, 410 00:30:35,377 --> 00:30:37,587 and looking at his trainer and look-- just like, you know, 411 00:30:37,587 --> 00:30:39,839 he couldn't leave his chair, but he really wanted-- 412 00:30:39,839 --> 00:30:42,175 and the trainer would go, "Okay," and he would run across the set 413 00:30:42,175 --> 00:30:43,718 and leap into my arms. 414 00:30:45,095 --> 00:30:46,888 It was magical. 415 00:30:46,888 --> 00:30:49,516 And in Scotland we have a word for it called "couthie." 416 00:30:49,516 --> 00:30:51,935 If an animal or a person is couthie, 417 00:30:51,935 --> 00:30:55,313 it means they're kind of, you know, they kind of come into you like that 418 00:30:56,022 --> 00:30:57,816 in their personality as well as their physicality. 419 00:30:57,816 --> 00:31:00,402 They kind of-- that's couthie, they just want to be like that with you. 420 00:31:00,402 --> 00:31:02,362 And he was, Tonka was couthie. 421 00:31:04,197 --> 00:31:08,326 Tonka was about five at that time, and I didn't know that then, 422 00:31:08,326 --> 00:31:10,078 but that was kind of at the end of the time 423 00:31:10,078 --> 00:31:13,915 that you can actually have a sort of domesticated chimp. 424 00:31:18,545 --> 00:31:20,005 My understanding of what happened to Tonka 425 00:31:20,005 --> 00:31:24,009 after his Hollywood career ended was that he retired to Palm Springs. 426 00:31:24,009 --> 00:31:24,968 That's what I was told. 427 00:31:27,178 --> 00:31:28,430 And every time I would go to Palm Springs, 428 00:31:28,430 --> 00:31:29,848 'cause I always think of Palm Springs as like, 429 00:31:29,848 --> 00:31:31,224 old people and gay people. 430 00:31:31,224 --> 00:31:33,393 And then retired chimps was added to my list. 431 00:31:33,393 --> 00:31:36,312 So, I kind of always expected to sort of bump into him. 432 00:31:45,447 --> 00:31:47,782 I'd done a few campaigns with PETA. 433 00:31:47,782 --> 00:31:51,953 And then they said to me that they had found this place in Missouri 434 00:31:51,953 --> 00:31:55,248 where these chimps are being kept in very poor, 435 00:31:55,248 --> 00:31:57,625 terrible conditions, and that one of them was Tonka. 436 00:31:59,878 --> 00:32:03,089 And they showed me a picture of him in this inside cage 437 00:32:03,089 --> 00:32:05,133 looking kinda-- it was really... 438 00:32:07,010 --> 00:32:08,511 Just, it was really upsetting. 439 00:32:08,511 --> 00:32:12,057 Once they've done their thing in showbiz, 440 00:32:12,057 --> 00:32:15,518 and anyone could buy them in, you know, all these awful roadside zoos 441 00:32:15,518 --> 00:32:17,562 and things like that that you see. 442 00:32:17,562 --> 00:32:19,773 PETA asked me to join them in this campaign 443 00:32:19,773 --> 00:32:21,941 to try and get those chimps out. 444 00:32:21,941 --> 00:32:25,487 I just hope that Tonka will be able to have the retirement 445 00:32:25,487 --> 00:32:28,156 that I thought he was going to have. 446 00:32:28,156 --> 00:32:30,158 I knew that PETA was going after Connie 447 00:32:30,158 --> 00:32:31,576 and her chimps. 448 00:32:31,576 --> 00:32:32,869 Thank you. 449 00:32:35,413 --> 00:32:39,709 So I felt like this is an opportunity to do what I've always wanted to do. 450 00:32:46,174 --> 00:32:48,009 - Who's that? - It's Candy. 451 00:32:52,472 --> 00:32:53,723 Hi, sweetie. 452 00:32:54,849 --> 00:32:58,937 PETA gave me these glasses that had a camera, 453 00:32:58,937 --> 00:33:02,440 and they just said, "Get as much footage as you can." 454 00:33:08,113 --> 00:33:09,698 Hi. 455 00:33:11,950 --> 00:33:15,662 In my mind, I kept telling myself, "You are betraying somebody that you love. 456 00:33:15,662 --> 00:33:19,165 You know what's gonna happen after this goes public." 457 00:33:20,291 --> 00:33:25,422 It was-- I can't even describe how-- I hated myself. 458 00:33:26,381 --> 00:33:28,883 I hate the fact that I had to hurt somebody 459 00:33:28,883 --> 00:33:30,135 to help somebody else. 460 00:33:38,518 --> 00:33:40,478 I thought Connie was a very nice person, 461 00:33:40,478 --> 00:33:42,856 and she would tell me how much she loved her chimps. 462 00:33:45,108 --> 00:33:46,860 They had made their bedroom into a cage 463 00:33:46,860 --> 00:33:50,155 so that the younger chimps could stay in there with them. 464 00:33:50,155 --> 00:33:51,573 You got Baba? 465 00:33:52,824 --> 00:33:58,580 And she genuinely seemed to love chimps. 466 00:34:00,749 --> 00:34:04,961 It's just, I guess we have different definitions of what love is. 467 00:34:07,088 --> 00:34:08,089 Hi. 468 00:34:09,007 --> 00:34:10,467 Here, you wanna do a selfie? 469 00:34:12,594 --> 00:34:13,470 Hi. 470 00:34:13,470 --> 00:34:17,515 The chimpanzees were being held in virtually barren enclosures, 471 00:34:17,515 --> 00:34:20,143 strewn with trash and their own waste, 472 00:34:20,143 --> 00:34:22,854 and this was frankly unlawful. 473 00:34:23,772 --> 00:34:28,693 So, in 2017, we decided to proceed with a lawsuit 474 00:34:28,693 --> 00:34:31,613 alleging that these conditions in which the chimpanzees 475 00:34:31,613 --> 00:34:35,617 were held constituted a violation of the Endangered Species Act. 476 00:34:36,743 --> 00:34:38,203 The lawsuit that PETA brought 477 00:34:38,203 --> 00:34:40,497 wasn't just about saying, "We're taking the chimps away." 478 00:34:40,497 --> 00:34:43,124 It was saying, "We want you to keep these chimps, 479 00:34:43,124 --> 00:34:47,003 "provided you make these changes in their conditions 480 00:34:47,003 --> 00:34:48,588 and the way they're looked after." 481 00:34:48,588 --> 00:34:49,964 That's their motif. 482 00:34:49,964 --> 00:34:52,759 I could tell you verbatim how they handle a case, 483 00:34:52,759 --> 00:34:56,096 and every case is a cookie-cutter case. 484 00:34:56,096 --> 00:34:59,599 That's my terminology. They use the same forms, 485 00:34:59,599 --> 00:35:02,352 they use the same brutality tactics. 486 00:35:04,729 --> 00:35:07,107 They don't want to fix your problems. 487 00:35:09,693 --> 00:35:12,946 They just want to run you out of money to get your animals from you. 488 00:35:15,407 --> 00:35:17,450 I started working at Connie's 489 00:35:17,450 --> 00:35:21,246 approximately six months after PETA filed the lawsuit. 490 00:35:21,246 --> 00:35:24,207 I never even drove one of these until I came here. 491 00:35:25,166 --> 00:35:28,128 I'm from the city, I don't do this kind of stuff. 492 00:35:28,128 --> 00:35:34,342 PETA did a 365-page report with a professional veterinarian 493 00:35:34,342 --> 00:35:37,929 saying we have all these really serious problems. 494 00:35:41,182 --> 00:35:42,225 Shit. 495 00:35:45,937 --> 00:35:49,357 And I decided I'm gonna fix everything on that 365-page report. 496 00:35:52,360 --> 00:35:55,030 Just 'cause it was old doesn't mean you can't fix it up. 497 00:35:57,657 --> 00:36:00,618 Watch yourself. 'Cause he's gonna bang. 498 00:36:06,332 --> 00:36:09,085 Connie was very anxious to spend all this money 499 00:36:09,085 --> 00:36:11,338 to fight to keep her babies. 500 00:36:11,338 --> 00:36:12,964 I said, "Don't worry about it, they're your kids. 501 00:36:12,964 --> 00:36:15,842 "How can they take your kids? I mean, this is America. 502 00:36:15,842 --> 00:36:18,053 "You know, the judicial system will protect us 503 00:36:18,053 --> 00:36:20,221 'cause we haven't done anything wrong, they're your kids." 504 00:36:21,806 --> 00:36:24,642 You want more snacks? You got to do more. No, more. 505 00:36:24,642 --> 00:36:27,103 No, not with your foot, you got to do more snack. 506 00:36:27,103 --> 00:36:31,149 More, good boy. More snack, good boy. 507 00:36:31,733 --> 00:36:36,696 Connie was getting donated old produce. That was one of PETA's concerns. 508 00:36:36,696 --> 00:36:39,324 Now, they get fresh veggies mainly. 509 00:36:39,324 --> 00:36:42,160 Sugar snap peas, zucchini squash, little peppers, 510 00:36:42,160 --> 00:36:43,828 eggs for protein. 511 00:36:43,828 --> 00:36:46,414 Primarily all this stuff is bought from Walmart. 512 00:36:47,165 --> 00:36:49,959 Tonia Haddix would regularly post improvements 513 00:36:49,959 --> 00:36:54,089 that they were making to the facility on her Facebook page. 514 00:36:54,089 --> 00:36:59,010 Things like putting up a new hammock or repainting. 515 00:36:59,010 --> 00:37:01,388 If I was guesstimating how much I've spent up here 516 00:37:01,388 --> 00:37:04,057 from start to finish, I'd say half a million dollars. 517 00:37:05,058 --> 00:37:08,687 Absolutely nothing approaching a half a million dollars' worth of work. 518 00:37:09,729 --> 00:37:11,564 I worked my butt off. 519 00:37:11,564 --> 00:37:14,025 But PETA never came out to see the improvements, 520 00:37:14,025 --> 00:37:17,404 never came out to see the quality of life with these chimps, 521 00:37:17,404 --> 00:37:20,281 'cause they don't really give a shit about the chimps. 522 00:37:20,281 --> 00:37:22,951 All they want is their agenda furthered, 523 00:37:22,951 --> 00:37:26,204 which is to have no animals in people's care. 524 00:37:27,247 --> 00:37:28,623 Come. 525 00:37:28,623 --> 00:37:32,293 PETA has no empathy for the person that owns the animals, 526 00:37:32,293 --> 00:37:34,796 or the love that they have for those animals. 527 00:37:36,673 --> 00:37:39,676 And that's what people just really can't understand. 528 00:37:42,512 --> 00:37:44,264 I fell in love with those kids. 529 00:37:44,264 --> 00:37:45,557 Come on. 530 00:37:46,182 --> 00:37:48,351 Come on, ready, ready, ready, ready, ready, ready. 531 00:37:48,351 --> 00:37:50,270 Ready, ready, ready, ready, ready, ready, ready! 532 00:37:50,270 --> 00:37:51,855 Come on! 533 00:37:51,855 --> 00:37:54,607 It's just like every day, you wake up into a new world. 534 00:37:54,607 --> 00:37:58,111 What, Candy Cane? What, baby girl? 535 00:38:00,447 --> 00:38:02,282 They don't break your heart. 536 00:38:03,950 --> 00:38:05,577 They're eager to please. 537 00:38:05,577 --> 00:38:08,204 Can you hand me them papers? 538 00:38:08,204 --> 00:38:11,916 Give me those papers, shove them suckers out there for me. 539 00:38:12,208 --> 00:38:13,585 Thank you, boy. 540 00:38:13,585 --> 00:38:16,087 They don't grow up and get a mind of their own. 541 00:38:16,087 --> 00:38:19,841 Silly man, silly man! Can you show me your teeth? 542 00:38:19,841 --> 00:38:23,011 Show me them nasty old teeth of yours, boy! 543 00:38:23,011 --> 00:38:25,764 They'll be your friend for life. 544 00:38:28,475 --> 00:38:31,478 Nice to meet you, Tonka. Tonka, can you clap? 545 00:38:32,479 --> 00:38:33,980 Especially Tonka. 546 00:38:33,980 --> 00:38:36,316 Stick out your tongue. Are you gonna show me that? 547 00:38:36,316 --> 00:38:39,944 Tonka was 38 years old, and he was my best friend. 548 00:38:41,112 --> 00:38:43,656 You even got a smile on your face, boy. 549 00:38:46,659 --> 00:38:50,955 Them chimps just suck you in. They suck you in so quick. 550 00:38:50,955 --> 00:38:52,624 Turn around. 551 00:38:52,624 --> 00:38:54,084 You want me to scratch your back? 552 00:38:57,545 --> 00:39:00,423 I may sit out there for hours with them until 4 or 5 in the morning, 553 00:39:00,799 --> 00:39:03,760 and then I'd go sleep for a few hours, get up and go clean their cages. 554 00:39:06,721 --> 00:39:08,348 It was my ultimate dream. 555 00:39:10,100 --> 00:39:13,978 You want my shoe again? Oh my goodness, he's so crazy. 556 00:39:13,978 --> 00:39:16,439 You want them shoes? You're crazy. 557 00:39:23,446 --> 00:39:25,323 Any time they do that noise, they're happy. 558 00:39:26,408 --> 00:39:29,661 Eventually, I just said to Connie, 559 00:39:29,661 --> 00:39:31,204 "Sign 'em over to me." 560 00:39:31,204 --> 00:39:33,873 And I said, "I'll take the grunt of the lawsuit." 561 00:39:39,337 --> 00:39:42,215 There is no apparent reason for Tonia Haddix 562 00:39:42,215 --> 00:39:48,471 to have taken ownership of the chimpanzees other than to try to moot our lawsuit 563 00:39:48,471 --> 00:39:50,056 and get it kicked out of court 564 00:39:50,056 --> 00:39:52,976 because the owner of the chimpanzees was not a party. 565 00:39:53,727 --> 00:39:58,189 So, we were forced to join her into the lawsuit in 2019. 566 00:39:59,107 --> 00:40:02,944 And that certainly kept it interesting. 567 00:40:10,785 --> 00:40:13,872 I'm trying to clean this cage, so I need to lock him out of this cage. 568 00:40:13,872 --> 00:40:15,915 But I was gonna lock this door and this door 569 00:40:15,915 --> 00:40:18,084 because he's strong. 570 00:40:31,056 --> 00:40:33,183 Okay, that's a battle lost. 571 00:40:34,601 --> 00:40:38,563 Out of all the chimps, I would not want to encounter him. 572 00:40:39,522 --> 00:40:42,275 Huh, boy? Huh, Kerry? 573 00:40:42,275 --> 00:40:44,944 You see the power of Kerry in this interaction. 574 00:40:46,738 --> 00:40:49,491 See, just like right there, tried to grab me. 575 00:40:49,491 --> 00:40:51,868 But see, I'm aware of that, so I know what to do with him. 576 00:40:51,868 --> 00:40:54,329 Kerry is the one who escaped right here 577 00:40:54,329 --> 00:40:57,040 on Highway CC outside Festus. 578 00:40:57,040 --> 00:41:00,543 Oh, my God, he's getting in-- Oh, he's robbing that-- Oh, my God. 579 00:41:00,543 --> 00:41:02,045 Tonight on the Fox Files, 580 00:41:02,045 --> 00:41:05,215 an escaped chimpanzee in Festus. It shocked people... 581 00:41:05,215 --> 00:41:07,801 You can see the animal try to get into a car. 582 00:41:07,801 --> 00:41:10,387 After Tonia Haddix became the legal owner 583 00:41:10,387 --> 00:41:13,098 of the chimpanzees, there were issues still arising 584 00:41:13,098 --> 00:41:15,433 at the Missouri Primate Foundation, 585 00:41:15,433 --> 00:41:19,020 because she is not qualified to care for chimpanzees. 586 00:41:19,020 --> 00:41:20,939 She does not have any formal training. 587 00:41:20,939 --> 00:41:24,651 She's simply someone who likes chimpanzees. 588 00:41:28,446 --> 00:41:32,033 I have a rule of thumb. I never walk away from a cage 589 00:41:32,033 --> 00:41:34,994 unless I've got a lock on it. Period, end of story. 590 00:41:36,079 --> 00:41:40,000 'Cause it'd be so easy to get called away, and then the locks be off, 591 00:41:40,000 --> 00:41:42,085 and there's no safeties on these doors. 592 00:41:42,085 --> 00:41:43,962 So, then you'd have loose chimps. 593 00:41:46,006 --> 00:41:48,299 A controversial primate facility in Festus 594 00:41:48,299 --> 00:41:49,509 is under fire once again. 595 00:41:49,509 --> 00:41:51,136 A male and female chimpanzee 596 00:41:51,136 --> 00:41:52,512 escaped early Sunday afternoon. 597 00:41:52,512 --> 00:41:56,057 It appears there was an unsecured lock on the cages. 598 00:41:56,057 --> 00:41:58,685 During the course of this case, 599 00:41:58,685 --> 00:42:01,771 chimpanzees escaped from the facility twice. 600 00:42:08,820 --> 00:42:11,031 Remarkably, Tonia Haddix's response 601 00:42:11,031 --> 00:42:13,825 was that PETA might have sent someone there 602 00:42:13,825 --> 00:42:15,326 to unlock the cages. 603 00:42:17,287 --> 00:42:19,080 That's how delusional she is. 604 00:42:22,292 --> 00:42:25,295 Tonia's deadline to have all the improvements completed 605 00:42:25,295 --> 00:42:26,963 came and went. 606 00:42:26,963 --> 00:42:29,341 She never formally presented any of the changes 607 00:42:29,341 --> 00:42:31,092 that she made to the Festus facility. 608 00:42:31,092 --> 00:42:32,552 It simply didn't happen. 609 00:42:34,012 --> 00:42:36,473 So, we filed several motions to transfer 610 00:42:36,473 --> 00:42:40,727 all seven of the chimpanzees to an accredited sanctuary. 611 00:42:40,727 --> 00:42:42,812 All of these animals have been captive-bred, 612 00:42:42,812 --> 00:42:45,482 so they can't just be simply released into the wild. 613 00:42:46,358 --> 00:42:48,443 The best we can do is to put them in a setting 614 00:42:48,443 --> 00:42:50,987 that approximates their natural environment. 615 00:42:54,616 --> 00:42:58,953 You know, she had her chance, and she blew it. 616 00:42:59,788 --> 00:43:02,248 That's really where it all went wrong for her. 617 00:43:05,794 --> 00:43:07,462 Alright, Tonia. 618 00:43:07,462 --> 00:43:10,840 Morning, we're at the federal courthouse here in St. Louis. 619 00:43:10,840 --> 00:43:12,634 We have a contempt hearing this morning. 620 00:43:12,634 --> 00:43:14,135 - Right. - How's your head? 621 00:43:14,135 --> 00:43:15,428 What are you feeling? 622 00:43:15,428 --> 00:43:17,806 - And you just go. - Okay. 623 00:43:17,806 --> 00:43:19,140 Alright? And you smell great, by the way. 624 00:43:19,140 --> 00:43:20,642 Thank you. 625 00:43:22,811 --> 00:43:26,564 My eyes are-- I was up all night with the attorney. 626 00:43:26,564 --> 00:43:29,609 Okay. Whenever you're ready. 627 00:43:31,277 --> 00:43:33,071 Well, I was up all night with the attorneys. 628 00:43:33,071 --> 00:43:34,447 They worked all hours. 629 00:43:34,447 --> 00:43:38,326 We put five more motions in this morning. 630 00:43:38,326 --> 00:43:40,620 Best case scenario, PETA can't take the chimps, 631 00:43:40,620 --> 00:43:43,206 and we can try to fight this fair and square. 632 00:43:43,206 --> 00:43:46,501 Worst case scenario would be that I end up in jail today 633 00:43:46,501 --> 00:43:48,878 until they come get the chimps. 634 00:43:48,878 --> 00:43:52,090 I'm not saying I'm not a little nervous, 'cause who wouldn't be? 635 00:43:52,090 --> 00:43:55,135 But the fact of it is, is I stand up for what I believe in. 636 00:43:55,135 --> 00:43:56,720 And I believe in those chimps, 637 00:43:56,720 --> 00:44:00,890 so that's all I care about at this point, truthfully. 638 00:44:06,479 --> 00:44:08,148 The animal rights group PETA 639 00:44:08,148 --> 00:44:11,192 successfully won a court order to have the Festus chimps 640 00:44:11,192 --> 00:44:14,904 moved to an accredited animal sanctuary in Florida. 641 00:44:14,904 --> 00:44:17,782 A new court order says all the chimps must go. 642 00:44:17,782 --> 00:44:19,659 Cameras are prohibited 643 00:44:19,659 --> 00:44:23,288 from being on the Festus property during this seizure. 644 00:44:23,288 --> 00:44:26,791 The judge found Tonia Haddix in civil contempt, 645 00:44:26,791 --> 00:44:30,462 ultimately ordering that all seven of the chimpanzees 646 00:44:30,462 --> 00:44:32,964 be transferred to accredited sanctuaries. 647 00:44:32,964 --> 00:44:35,258 I love these chimps more than anything in the world, 648 00:44:35,258 --> 00:44:36,801 and I mean more than anything. 649 00:44:36,801 --> 00:44:38,845 More than my kids, more than anything. 650 00:44:38,845 --> 00:44:41,389 What I'm worried about is do they think that we abandon them? 651 00:44:41,389 --> 00:44:46,811 You know, they have a lot of huge intellectual statuses. 652 00:44:46,811 --> 00:44:48,897 So how do we know what they're gonna feel? 653 00:44:48,897 --> 00:44:52,025 And I know they're gonna grieve. I know they're gonna have issues. 654 00:44:52,025 --> 00:44:54,819 I appreciate it, Tonia, thank you. I'll be in touch when it's gonna be on. 655 00:44:54,819 --> 00:44:56,196 - It might not be tonight. - Okay. Okay. 656 00:44:56,196 --> 00:44:57,614 That'll be great, thank you. 657 00:45:07,457 --> 00:45:09,376 I'm not giving up, I can tell you that much. 658 00:45:09,376 --> 00:45:13,713 I'm not. 'Til the fat lady sings, I'm gonna try to beat PETA. 659 00:45:17,425 --> 00:45:20,303 There he is. There's the little fucker now. 660 00:45:23,431 --> 00:45:27,185 The United States Marshal Service will be present just to ensure a smooth transfer. 661 00:45:27,185 --> 00:45:29,771 We're hopeful that there will be no hiccups. 662 00:45:29,771 --> 00:45:32,649 We're looking to finally just move these chimpanzees 663 00:45:32,649 --> 00:45:34,609 to this professional sanctuary environment. 664 00:45:34,609 --> 00:45:36,319 - Okay, thank you, sir. - Thank you. 665 00:45:36,319 --> 00:45:37,696 - It was good seeing you. - Good seeing you. 666 00:45:37,696 --> 00:45:39,114 I'll let you know when it's gonna run. 667 00:45:39,114 --> 00:45:40,156 Okay. 668 00:45:50,542 --> 00:45:54,713 The good news is they didn't take her away in handcuffs. 669 00:45:54,713 --> 00:45:58,008 Although, the judge said that Tonia has to stay 670 00:45:58,008 --> 00:46:04,723 two miles away from the compound as the move takes place. 671 00:46:16,276 --> 00:46:21,072 We are just prepping the chimps for PETA to come on property 672 00:46:21,072 --> 00:46:25,952 to take the possession of the chimps starting 8 a.m. tomorrow. 673 00:46:27,871 --> 00:46:29,956 It's gonna be the toughest thing we've ever gone through. 674 00:46:29,956 --> 00:46:31,332 For me, at least. 675 00:46:34,169 --> 00:46:35,128 Yeah. 676 00:46:35,712 --> 00:46:38,048 Candy Cane's joining in on the conversation. 677 00:46:38,923 --> 00:46:42,010 She wants to say, "PETA, you're stupid for taking us." 678 00:46:48,224 --> 00:46:53,897 PETA said that they can't wait to get them transferred to a professional sanctuary. 679 00:46:56,316 --> 00:46:58,318 I have to be off the property at 8 p.m., 680 00:46:58,318 --> 00:47:03,239 so, per PETA's orders, believe it or not. 681 00:47:03,239 --> 00:47:04,407 And... 682 00:47:05,158 --> 00:47:08,912 So, we'll have to shut out the lights at 8:00, but 683 00:47:08,912 --> 00:47:11,623 we're gonna spend as much time with them as we can. 684 00:47:22,425 --> 00:47:24,761 You know what, we should get Happy Meals today. 685 00:47:24,761 --> 00:47:28,807 That's their favorite. Yeah, they would love 'em. 686 00:47:28,807 --> 00:47:32,477 They love chicken nugget Happy Meals. I mean, love them. 687 00:47:37,148 --> 00:47:38,817 One more. 688 00:47:40,068 --> 00:47:42,278 You like them fries? If you want 'em, have 'em... 689 00:48:00,046 --> 00:48:02,841 You get to know each chimp, and that's the sad part, 690 00:48:02,841 --> 00:48:05,343 is that they're taking them from the only home they know 691 00:48:05,343 --> 00:48:07,846 with the caregivers that know them their whole life 692 00:48:07,846 --> 00:48:10,473 and know what they're about, and... 693 00:48:12,517 --> 00:48:13,893 putting 'em in a situation 694 00:48:13,893 --> 00:48:15,937 that they won't even know nothing about 'em. 695 00:48:19,607 --> 00:48:21,443 See, Candy don't like me crying. 696 00:48:22,986 --> 00:48:25,321 And Connor don't. They know. 697 00:48:27,449 --> 00:48:28,742 They know. 698 00:48:29,576 --> 00:48:32,370 They know I love them more than anything in this world. 699 00:48:34,539 --> 00:48:35,582 They know. 700 00:48:36,124 --> 00:48:38,418 I've spent many years with these guys, 701 00:48:38,418 --> 00:48:41,796 taking care of them every day, even whenever I've been sick. 702 00:48:41,796 --> 00:48:43,048 They know. 703 00:48:46,343 --> 00:48:48,386 Huh, Candy Cane? 704 00:49:00,690 --> 00:49:03,151 We can take you no further than right here, 705 00:49:03,151 --> 00:49:06,946 the front of Connie Casey's property on State Road CC in Festus. 706 00:49:08,156 --> 00:49:11,201 The U.S. Marshals are here, accompanied by local law enforcement 707 00:49:11,201 --> 00:49:13,620 to watch over the seizure of chimpanzees. 708 00:49:19,084 --> 00:49:20,293 We're trespassing? 709 00:49:23,338 --> 00:49:25,507 Yeah, you can't come on property until we're done. 710 00:49:27,634 --> 00:49:29,177 Yeah, that'd be technically off the property. 711 00:49:29,177 --> 00:49:30,470 Okay. 712 00:50:16,933 --> 00:50:18,309 - So, nothing in here though? - No. 713 00:50:18,309 --> 00:50:19,477 But they would be darting in here? 714 00:50:19,477 --> 00:50:20,854 Yes. 715 00:50:26,151 --> 00:50:27,485 Yeah. 716 00:50:39,539 --> 00:50:41,499 The chimps are there, and the chimps are on 717 00:50:41,499 --> 00:50:43,001 the other side there. 718 00:50:44,461 --> 00:50:45,420 Here comes somebody. 719 00:53:23,995 --> 00:53:27,207 I hated the fact that they had to be scared at all, 720 00:53:27,207 --> 00:53:29,125 because they had to dart them all one by one 721 00:53:29,125 --> 00:53:31,252 and put them in the truck. 722 00:53:32,087 --> 00:53:35,131 But I'm very happy. 723 00:53:36,174 --> 00:53:38,426 Do you have any regrets? 724 00:53:38,426 --> 00:53:40,261 I wish I had done it sooner. 725 00:53:41,137 --> 00:53:42,389 That's all. 726 00:53:48,311 --> 00:53:52,732 The rescue went smoothly, and Tonia Haddix didn't show up. 727 00:53:54,567 --> 00:53:57,445 But there was one major problem. 728 00:53:59,239 --> 00:54:01,783 There was a chimpanzee missing. 729 00:54:16,256 --> 00:54:18,216 The fight over Festus chimpanzees 730 00:54:18,216 --> 00:54:20,927 should be over, except for new revelations. 731 00:54:20,927 --> 00:54:23,680 The chimpanzee lady now making national news. 732 00:54:23,680 --> 00:54:25,390 A movie star chimp named Tonka 733 00:54:25,390 --> 00:54:27,017 and its disappearance. 734 00:54:27,017 --> 00:54:28,810 It all has the makings of a Hollywood plot, 735 00:54:28,810 --> 00:54:30,103 but no, this is real life. 736 00:54:30,895 --> 00:54:34,232 People fall in love with these chimps. 737 00:54:34,232 --> 00:54:38,319 And you know, when you're in love, your brain is out of control. 738 00:54:38,319 --> 00:54:41,322 There's chemicals and hormones and things happening to you 739 00:54:41,322 --> 00:54:43,074 that makes you irrational. 740 00:54:45,744 --> 00:54:47,871 Once I had chimps, 741 00:54:47,871 --> 00:54:49,789 there was no way I could do without one. 742 00:54:49,789 --> 00:54:52,625 I'll do anything and everything to keep them kids. 743 00:54:52,625 --> 00:54:56,338 I've got to take every chance I've got, 'cause you know what? 744 00:54:56,338 --> 00:54:58,340 We might get lucky.