Chimp Crazy’s Primate Star Tonka Reunites with Son at Sanctuary

Tonka, the primate star of Chimp Crazy, had a heartwarming family reunion.

In the HBO docuseries’ final episode, which aired Sunday, Sept. 8, the chimpanzee arrived at Save the Chimps, his sanctuary home in Fort Pierce, Fla. It was there that Tonka reconnected with his son Cayleb in 2022.

Like his father, the younger chimp was bred for the entertainment industry as an infant.

Dan Mathews, director of events & special projects for Save the Chimps, told PEOPLE that Cayleb was discarded when he became too strong to control. While the two primates were left at separate facilities, the organization rescued both through different cases.

In photos that Save the Chimps shared with PEOPLE, the father-son duo can be seen grooming each other on one of the sanctuary’s island habitats and engaging in family bonding. 

“After three decades behind bars or in basements, isolated from other chimps and eating unhealthful food, Tonka is now fit and relishing the sunshine at our 150-acre sanctuary with a gregarious group of 17 chimpanzees who get state-of-the-art vet care,” Matthews said.

Tonka, who turns 33 on Oct. 5, is “enjoying his second act in peace with family, friends, dignity and freedom,” Matthews added, noting that chimps can live into their 60s.

According to Cayleb’s bio on Save the Chimps’ website, he previously lived at the Wildlife Waystation, an animal refuge in California that closed in 2019. Cayleb was one of 42 chimps left in need of a new home.

The North American Primate Sanctuary Alliance (NAPSA) led Chimpanzees In Need in finding sanctuaries for the displaced chimps.

Cayleb was “a bit nervous” when he came to Save the Chimps, but soon adjusted to his new surroundings, where he enjoyed playing with a friend named Jacob and soaking up the sunshine. With the addition of Tonka, the trio moved to the 3-acre Doug Island, where they’ve found “the companionship of a large family group.”

Tonka found fame in the ‘90s with roles on TV shows and movies, such as George of the Jungle, Babe: Pig in the City, and Buddy, in which his costar was Alan Cumming.

After Tonka grew too large for Hollywood productions, he was moved to a primate breeding facility that later became a nonprofit called Missouri Primate Foundation (MPF) (formerly known as Chimparty).

In the late 2010s, ownership of MPF’s seven primates, including Tonka, was transferred from Connie Casey to Tonia Haddix, a former nurse turned exotic animal enthusiast.

In 2019, Haddix was added as a defendant to a lawsuit PETA filed in 2017 against Casey and MPF, alleging the chimpanzees’ unsatisfactory living conditions violated the Endangered Species Act.

Haddix’s legal battle with PETA is chronicled in Chimp Crazy, which was produced and directed by Tiger King’s Eric Goode.

According to paperwork from PETA, Haddix and MPF reached a consent decree with PETA in 2020 that said four of the chimps at MPF would be moved to a sanctuary, and Haddix could keep three of the chimpanzees, including Tonka, if she met certain conditions and upgraded the Festus, Mo., facility.

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In the spring of 2022, PETA learned that Haddix was keeping Tonka in her basement, which led to the chimp’s removal from her custody and transfer to Save the Chimps.

Save the Chimps, a privately funded sanctuary in Fort Pierce, Florida, aims to “provide sanctuary and exemplary care to chimpanzees in need,” according to its website.

“An enriched outdoor environment allows the chimps to roam, visit with friends, bask in the sun, or curl up in the shade. These freedoms provide them with the dignified and peaceful retirement they have always deserved,” the organization said on its website.