01x04 - Fantasy Island

[bunniefuu]

[swallows hard]

[sniffs]
Okay, I'm ready.

["Dream a Little Dream Of Me" by
The Mamas & The Papas playing]

Tonka always makes me
feel safe.

If, um, he's around, nobody's
gonna ever hurt me, ever.

♪ Stars shining bright
above you ♪

His eyes are so soft
and so loving.

♪ Whisper "I love you" ♪

That's Tonka's soul,
that's his spirit.

He's just a very kind
and loving person.

♪ Dream a little dream of me ♪

Everybody gets mad,
especially, like, my husband,

because he thinks I should
put him before Tonka.

But there's no way that Jerry
is as loyal as Tonka is to me.

[chuckles]

Tonka is it.

♪ While I'm alone,
blue as can be ♪

♪ Dream a little dream of me ♪

♪ Stars fading
but I linger on, dear ♪

♪ Still craving your kiss ♪

-[sirens blaring]
-[loud banging]

[police radio chatter]

officer: Police department.
Please open up.

-[tense music playing]
-[loud banging continues]

[Tonia speaking]

[music intensifies]

[phone dings]

f*ck.

[phone line ringing]

-Tonia Haddix [on phone]:
Hello?
-You alright?

-Did you hear me?
-Damn, yeah, I heard you.

♪♪

[Tonia speaking]

Dwayne Cunningham: Alright,
I'm gonna make my way your way.

You're not in custody, are you?

[Tonia speaking]

[laughing]
You're crazy.

You are a crazy girl, you.

[tense music continues]

Eric Goode: Apparently,
the entire 30 minutes

of the phone call with Tonia

is public record.

It's not sealed.

The question is,
where does that leave us?

-Eric [on phone]: Yeah.
-[laughing]

100%, she's gonna know,

whether she knows
now or later.

Did you get
any sense that she--

Dwayne [on phone]: No,
she didn't sound suspicious.

[Eric speaking]

Uh, yeah.

[ominous music playing]

[Eric speaking]

Dwayne: Yeah.
But nothing is happening today.

They can't move Tonka

until the vet comes
and everything.

camera operator:
You're rolling.

Dwayne:
We're good?

crew member:
What do you think?

What do you think?

[laughing]
Thanks for your help.

[laughs]

-Good luck, Dwayne.
-Dwayne: Alright.

♪♪

[car parks]

[Dwayne sighs]

[car door closes]

I can see the U.S. Marshal
camped out

at the end of the driveway
in an SUV.

[Tonia speaking]

-Tonia: Um, whatchamacallit.
-Dwayne: Hey, man.

[sighing]
Oh, God.

Tonia: Yeah.

Dwayne: Well,
you hair looks great.

[Tonia laughing]

Dwayne: Wait, are they gonna
put you on the cover

of the "Rolling Stone"?

[Dwayne laughing]

Dwayne: You kids are
too young to remember.

If you were a rock star,
to get your picture

on the cover
of the "Rolling Stone"

was like getting your picture
on the cover of "Time" magazine.

[Tonia sighs]

Dwayne:
You don't know?

-[tense music playing]
-[Tonka screeching in distance]

Dwayne:
But then what, Ton?

I mean, you don't wanna be
on the run.

Dwayne: You'd be on
"America's Most Wanted".

And, and PETA would love it.

It's time for it to end,
don't you think?

Just enjoy what's left.

[Tonia speaking]

♪♪

Tonia: There's Jared Goodman
right there.

Little weasel prick.

He better f*ck' stay away.

[Tonia speaking on phone]

[Tonka chittering]

This is how stressed out
they make him.

And he literally has gone ape.

-[banging]
-[chittering continues]

And they think this is not
harming and harassing

a chimp that is ill?

[police radio chatter]

They're getting ready
to dart him.

He's in the room next to me.

And as you can tell,
he's raising nine kinds of hell.

Here is all their equipment

with their little sh*t
police department.

[Tonka screeching, banging]

-[police radio chatter]
-[Tonka chittering]

[loud banging]

[chittering continues]

[somber music playing]

Brittany Peet [on video call]:
When we stepped foot

on Tonia Haddix's property,

we didn't know
if we were going to
walk out with Tonka alive,

or if he would come out
in a body bag.

Two veterinarians
sedated Tonka.

Because the basement
was so dark,

they couldn't actually
do the exam there.

So, they ran an EKG
and did a general
physical exam

on Tonia's patio.

Thankfully,
the vets made the call that,
that he could go.

And then, they were
on their way.

reporter 1:
A Hollywood animal star

has finally been rescued
after a year-long search.

reporter 2:
Tonka, a 38-year-old chimp

who starred
in the movies "Buddy"

and "George of the Jungle",
among others,

whose owner hid him
after allegedly claiming
he was dead.

reporter 3:
They only found out
Tonka's true whereabouts

when Haddix told someone
on the phone,

outlining plans
to euthanize him.

reporter 4:
Haddix told Fox-2 today

she's unable
to talk on camera,
but she messaged, quote,

"If the judicial system
was just,

he never would've
left the only home
he's ever known."

[somber music continues]

♪♪

[music fades out]

[birds chirping]

reporter:
The sprawling property
became a crime scene...

after Travis the chimp
went on a wild rampage.

-[Travis screeching]
-Sandy Herold: Send the police!

operator:
What's the problem there?

Sandy:
He's k*lling my friend!

reporter: The chimp's owner,
Sandy Herold,

says Travis was a loving pet.

It's just been hell, it's--

There's no way to explain it
any different.

Nadina Truini:
After the loss of Travis,

a lot of people had their own
opinions about Sandy.

How could anyone think
that's a good idea,

to try and domesticate
a 200-pound chimp?

reporter: This was a brutal
attack by a wild animal.

I don't care
if he was a celebrity.

Nadina: People were saying
horrible things.

Sandy: I cooked for him,
I shopped for him,

I lived with him,
I slept with him. I--

"Oh, she was having sex
with that chimp!"

One person took the narrative,

and it makes a good story,
right?

Kerri DeBlasi:
It was all over the world.

Sandy had to, like,
go into hiding.

All of a sudden,
she's the mother

that, you know,
may have contributed

to this horrible thing that
happened to Charla Nash.

reporter: Charla Nash is
at Ohio's Cleveland Clinic

as she recovers
from the massive injuries

she suffered
in the February attack.

Oprah Winfrey [singing]:
♪ Happy birthday ♪

-[Charla chuckles]
-♪ To you ♪

♪ Happy birthday to you ♪

♪ Happy birthday, dear Charla,
happy birthday to you ♪

Charla Nash:
Thank you.

Eric: Did you see
the Oprah Winfrey interview?

Yeah, it was horrible.

Oprah: You know,
many people around the world

want to get a picture of you.

Would you mind lifting the veil?

[unsettling music playing]

Nadina: Once I saw
Charla unveil her face,

I could no longer watch it,
it was, it was heartbreaking.

♪♪

For the next several months,
Sandy was almost inconsolable.

Jerry Herold: Come on, Travis,
do like at home on the bed.

Sandy:
Here.

Nadina:
Her husband had passed.

Get up.

Sandy:
This is my husband's rest day.

Nadina: Travis was the nail
in the coffin.

Her entire family's gone now.

She felt as though
she had no purpose.

She kept everything intact
as if Travis was still alive.

The Elmo doll
that he loved very much,

all his pictures
on the frigerator.

It was almost like
it was frozen in time,

as if it was a memorial,

just waiting for Travis
to come home.

Kerri:
Even the blood
was still there.

It set into the plywood.

[Eric speaking]

She never removed it.

[Sandy laughing]

reporter:
After what you've been
through with this,

do you still think chimps
should be pets?

Would I have done it again?
Yes.

It was horrific what happened,

but I'll miss him
for the rest of my life.

Jerry: This is Travis.
He's, he's gonna take a bath.

Nadina: She really could not
accept that Travis was gone.

That led her
to seek out a medium

with hopes of being able
to still communicate

with Trav in some way.

[tape recorder starts]

[eerie music playing]

[door creaking]

Pam Rosaire:
Poor Sandy.

She was really lonely,
you know, for chimps.

[all hooting]

[chimp screeching]

Sandy kept coming to visit,
no matter where we were,

all over the country.

[audience applauding]

She showed up
all over the place:

at fairs, at rodeos,
at circus.

Thank you very much.

She missed her own chimp,
so she tracked us down.

[laughing]

Chance, can you speak?

"I'm a chimpanzee,
and I'm a Pam troglodyte."

Ready?
"Pam troglodyte."

[laughing]

Yes!
[laughing]

Eric:
How did you and Sandy become
partners with this chimp?

Pam: The people that had him
didn't have the right permits.

He was gonna get confiscated
and euthanized.

So, I thought,
"What are you waiting for?

Go get it."

I was about 20-grand short.
[laughing]

[Sandy speaking on tape]

medium:
Gives you another chance.

[somber guitar music playing]

Kerri: After having her friend
completely be torn up

and almost k*lled by a chimp,

Sandy went out one year later

and bought herself
another chimp.

It's insane,
when you think about it.

It's insane.

Sandy would fly down
to Sarasota when she could

and hang out with Chance
and their other chimpanzees.

Pam:
She wanted Chance to stay
the night with her, right,

'cause she stayed with us.

He wouldn't stay in bed
with her,

he kept sneaking off to me.
[laughing]

He already knew I was his mom.

Kerri: They snuck him
up here at least once.

I have pictures of him
in Sandy's kitchen.

The state of Connecticut
would never stand for her

having another chimp
on her property in Stamford.

Nadina:
Sandy thought
visiting with Pam

would really help the pain.

But in the end, it was like,
"Wait a minute,

this-this isn't
making it better."

Sandy: Come here.
Come here. Come here.

Put your legs around my neck.
Put 'em around my neck.

Trav, Trav.

Give me a big kiss.
Come here.

Kerri: She was in
a phenomenal amount of pain.

One day, she said, "Man,
I'm really not feeling good,

but I'm gonna take a bath.
Maybe that'll help."

And that was it.

Sandra Herold died all alone,

vilified to the very end
for raising that wild chimp.

But she was fairly healthy,
so it was a shock this week

when she suddenly died from
a ruptured aortic aneurysm.

Her lawyer told us, quote,
"In the end..."

Pam:
She couldn't get over
Travis dying.

I honestly believe she died
of a broken heart.

Give me a sucky kiss.
Give me a sucky kiss.

Give me a sucky kiss.

[Sandy laughs]

Kerri: When it was time
to bury Sandy,

I knew where
Travis's ashes were.

Pam:
Sandy totally loved
that animal,

like I love my chimps.

Part of you dies with 'em,
you know?

[music fades out]

crew member:
Where we headed, Dwayne?

Dwayne:
Straight.

And her house is gonna be
right in front of us.

[turn signal clicking]

No cars in the driveway.

[texting, keypad clacking]

I'm, uh, basically
just saying to, uh, Tonia

that haven't heard from her,
I hope she's okay.

And she knows she can always,
uh, reach out and find me.

crew member:
Jesus. [laughing]

-Dwayne: What?
-Watching you text like this.

-Dwayne: Well, I'm trying to...
-[crew member laughing]

[light, plucky music playing]

[phone line ringing]

voicemail:
Your call has been forwarded

to an automatic
voice message system.

♪♪

9-9-9-5-3
is not available.

Your call has been forwarded

to an automatic
voice message system.

Is not available.

Is not available.

Is not available.

[phone line ringing]

...or press 1
for more options.

Your call has been forwarded

to an automatic
voice message system.

♪♪

-[sighs]
-[phone line ringing]

Yo.

Dwayne: Obviously,
Tonia's figured it out.

[Eric speaking on phone]

Um, yeah.
Well, I mean, that--

Did you read
the "Rolling Stone" article?

Eric:
Ugh, f*ck!

[dramatic music playing]

Cheyenne Roundtree:
I heard about the story

a couple weeks
before Tonka was found,

when Alan Cumming
put out a reward.

I specialize in film
and television investigations.

This story's a little bit
different, [chuckles]

but Alan Cumming kind of was
that gateway into, into this.

A woman who claimed
a chimpanzee was dead...

Cheyenne: Shortly after
the news came out

that Tonka was alive,
I just called Tonia.

I didn't think she was gonna
pick up, and she did.

She admitted
straight off the bat

that she had Tonka for a year,

and that someone in her life
turned her in.

I was asking her
who actually knew

about Tonka being alive,
and she's like,

"The documentary crew knew.

Um, my friends knew.
Friends watched him."

And I said, "Documentary crew?"
And she's like, "Yeah!"

She gave me the name
of the production company,

and I was able to track down
who was maybe participating.

And it led back to, to you.
[chuckles]

She was pretty blindsided.

Eric:
Do you have any
thoughts on why Tonia

did this documentary with us,

knowing everything
that's happened and transpired?

I think she just want
her story to be heard.

I think she felt backed up
against a wall with PETA.

And so, I think she just kind of
wanted to voice her frustrations

and kind of, you know,
going up against the man,

and this is what's
happening to her.

I also think she's
really talkative. [chuckles]

[quirky music playing]

She'll tell anyone everything.

[whispering]
It's okay, baby.

Cheyenne:
When there's a chance
to explain herself,

she takes that.

[chuckles]
I love you, boy.

Even when she knows that
maybe she shouldn't keep talking

or tell people a secret,
she just can't help herself.

I really like Tonia.

When she's telling
me her story

and what she's went through,

I was really, you know,
empathizing with her.

She told me
she took care of Tonka

the best way
that she knew how.

[eerie music playing]

And then, I saw pictures
of her in her basement.

It just kind of
hits you of, like,

this is where he was
being kept for a year,

and alone with no other chimps.

And I think the reality
of the situation

really becomes clear.

To me, I question,
does she not see

what other people can see?

[distant squawking, screeching]

speaker 1 [on radio]:
Would somebody be able
to grab the bucket

with the chains and straps
for the transfer box

and bring it over
to special needs?

[chimp screeching]

speaker 2: The plan is to bring
him into outside special needs.

[tense music playing]

[overlapping chatter]

Jared Goodman:
Immediately upon arrival
to Save the Chimps,

Tonka was placed
in a temporary
quarantine enclosure.

[chimps screeching]

Tonka did not have
any sort of heart condition,

as Tonia had said.

All of the assessment
really indicated,

he was overweight and needed
to be on a better diet.

There was absolutely no basis
whatsoever to euthanize him.

Tonka will stay
in quarantine for 90 days

before, hopefully,
he can be fully integrated

into one of the 12
main islands at the facility.

[music fades out]

[light curious music playing]

[sniffing]

speaker:
Look at those eyes.

♪♪

[music fades out]

Pam:
Chimps are not better off
in a sanctuary.

[dog barking]

[goat bleating]

My chimps are prima donnas.

Gotta get rid
of the goat turds.

He doesn't like 'em.
[laughing]

Turn around,
there's no goat crap there,

so stop looking for it.

Sit down, put your feet down.

Ugh, goat turds.
Disgusting, aren't they? Ugh.

They don't like
being in mosquitoes.

They don't like the rain.
They don't like the wind.

Little bit of drizzle,
they won't--

"No, I'm not going out today."

My chimps have slept
in the White House.

announcer:
Let's welcome her,
if you will.

Pamela Rosaire.

Toto, why don't you do
a handstand?

-There it is, a head handstand!
-[applause]

Pam:
Chimps that have been
in the entertainment industry

have been humanized.

[quirky music playing]

What are you getting?
No, no, no, no.

You come here.
Give me those.

Those are cold french fries.
Give-- Come here.

They want coffee in the morning,
that kind of stuff.

[laughing]

Hands up.
Put your hands up.

They really love to perform
and entertain people.

Clap your hands.
Hard, hard, hard.

Harder, harder.

And PETA, they just don't know
what the real deal is.

That's it, roll it.
Roll it like a man, yeah.

Animals that have
grown up entertaining,

they enjoy it.

It's like, you know,
what are they gonna do all day?

It's like an old person.

Once they retire,
they don't last long.

Come here.
There you are, look.

That's you.

Roger Zoppe:
There he is, there-- Look.

Pam:
Look, that's you.

-[dog barking]
-See, he recognizes Leo.

He remembers
doing all this.

Stop!
You're being crazy.

Come here.
Stop.

Chance likes to come
and hang out with us

in the house.

You're too big to lay in my lap.

But you can't live with 'em.

You're squeezing me really hard.

You have to build
a major facility.

You know, like state pen.

I know a lot of people think,
"Oh, they're in a cage, well..."

But you ask Chance,
and he'll tell you.

He's happy.

Let's go this way.
Let's go home.

Come on.

[quirky music continues]

[metal door creaking]

[music stops]

[muffled hooting]

[people screaming]

[upbeat music playing]

Dwayne:
The way this whole
thing went down,

I do feel, uh, bad about that.

But Tonia knew we were always
filming a documentary.

And I always said,
"Don't say anything

that you don't want
the whole world to know."

Eric:
So, let's try to call her.

She may just hang up on you.

crew member:
Can you, uh--
When you hold the phone,

can you hold it
with your other hand?

Eric:
And Dwayne,
I would just be like,

"Tonia, can I just explain...

-If, if she answers.
-...you know, my side?"

[phone line ringing]

[Tonia speaking on phone]

-Hey, how are you?
-Um, you know, I'm okay.

And I just, uh... just thought
I needed to call you.

-Tonia: Mm-hm.
-I just wanted to, uh,
call and...

and tell you, um... sorry.

Um...

This is, this is not what
I had wanted to happen at all.

Tonia:
I believe that.

Believe it or not,
I do believe that.

You know, you're the only one
out of that whole crew

that I thought the world of

because you do love
the animals.

I see it.

I just couldn't figure out
where your place was,

except I just figured

because Eric Goode's
good at this,

he hires people like you
that can get in

and get the trust built.

Have you researched
Eric Goode?

-Yeah, I mean--
-Tonia: You know his mom

was basically a prost*tute,
right?

-His mom was trash.
-[Dwayne laughing]

And caused him
to be f*cked up in the head.

-[Dwayne sighs]
-He can't take the law

into his own hands.
He has no right to do that.

I trusted you guys,
and you guys harmed Tonka.

You didn't harm me.

Look at this.

-[text message whooshing]
-This is the first picture

Save the Chimps posted of him.

Look at his face.

Tell me that he looks happy.

He's lost.

So, what happens now?

I mean...

Tonia:
Do I want this documentary?

No, no, no, no, no.

But here's the deal.

If it has to be, though,

I want it to be about
what the true story is.

So, if you can't beat 'em,
you might as well join them.

[plucky music playing]

Dwayne:
This is her.

♪♪

You drive that thing, that's--
you ripped it in here.

Tonia:
Hi, how are you?

Have you ever been here before?

[Tonia speaking]

It's the same.

It even smells like 1960.

[door creaking]

A lot has happened
since we last talked.

Ha, yeah.

Dwayne:
Do you blame me for Tonka?

No. If I did,
I wouldn't be here, obviously.

I, I get a feel for people,
and I know people.

[sniffling]

Dwayne:
So, in the interest of fairness,

I talked to Eric Goode.

And I said, "Would you be
willing to come and meet Tonia?"

He said yes.

So, would you be willing
to meet Eric?

[swallows]

[intense music playing]

♪♪

[crew member speaking]

-Um... you know, it just...
-[music stops]

Really curious
what she's gonna do

when she hears I'm here.

'Cause I'm the bad guy in this.

But we like to look at ourselves
differently, don't we?

[crew member speaking]

I don't know, we...

like to believe
our own truth.

[intense music resumes]

[door opens]

Dwayne:
Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna be here,

but I'm just...

-Eric: Okay.
-Okay, alright.

-Eric: Oh, my God.
-Dwayne: Tonia...

-Hi.
-...this is Eric Goode.

-We have a lot to talk about.
-[Tonia laughs]

So, there's so many things
I wanna tell you,

but one is, I can relate
to what you're going through.

-I hope so.
-Eric: I also keep animals.

And I know there's
certain animals

that if someone
took them away from me,

I would be very, very upset.

And, of course,
of course, I never expected this

to end this way.

But when you started talking
about putting Tonka down--

Yeah, but I--
I-I-I never said I w-- I-I was.

You just took the words,
but you did not take

the emotion,
the feeling of what I would do.

So, you were really never
contemplating k*lling Tonka?

No.

I guess it was smart to say,
"I'm gonna k*ll Tonka,

"because that would just make
everyone just think

"I don't have Tonka,
and then I can live

happily ever after with Tonka."

Yeah, that was,
that was part of it.

Because it got
to the point to where

I would've ran to Mexico.

I would've had coyotes
get me across this--

the, the border with Tonka,

and me and Tonka
would've lived in Mexico.

The rest of our lives.

And-And I'd just build him
a cage there,

and just get me
a little veranda,

and get me some Mexicans
to help me, and there we go.

Why are you talking to me?

Why are you okay
talking with me?

I just want Tonka to come home.

And if this will make it happen

and put a little
pressure on PETA

to just let me visit,
that's all I care about.

[somber music playing]

'Cause he is my kid.
He is my kid.

Even though I didn't
naturally bore him,

Tonka is a humanzee--
half human, half chimpanzee.

But his preference
is the human side.

[taxidermy deer head thuds]

♪♪

[music fades out]

After Tonka left,
I haven't been down here.

[door creaks]

It's like a mausoleum.

These are all his blankets.

I've not touched 'em.
Everything is exact.

As I go past the stairway,

I think I'm gonna see him
come up, 'cause he did,

and no Tonka.

Tonka had free access
to any room here.

He was not just in
that little tiny cage.

He loved to look outside.

Eric:
Is there anything that
replaces Tonka for you?

Oh, no.

No.

["I Want A Little Sugar In
My Bowl" by Nina Simone plays]

♪ I want a little sugar
in my bowl ♪

♪ I want a little sweetness
down in my soul ♪

♪ I could stand some lovin',
oh, so bad ♪

[goat bleating]

Tonia:
How I cope with things
is just by ignoring.

♪ I feel so sad ♪

I don't talk about it.

I just don't act
like it exists.

See what you think of that.

[chomping]

Basically, to compensate
for Tonka not being here,

I try to keep busy
by getting the zoo prepped.

♪ What's the matter, daddy? ♪

♪ Come on, save my soul ♪

You just keep your time
and space filled

and your mind occupied.

♪ I ain't foolin',
I want some sugar ♪

♪ Mm-hmm ♪

♪ In my bowl ♪

Say, "Give me a week," and say,
"He'll be my best friend."

[song ends]

[people chattering]

[solemn piano music playing]

Pam:
I think my golden years
have turned into copper.

Because I've lost my child.

Chance was jumping around,
being a chimp.

And all of a sudden,
he just keeled over.

-Fifteen.
-Fifteen?

-Just a kid, you know?
-Just a kid.

-Mm.
-I think something

-in his brain happened.
-Mm-hm.

I'm sorry for your loss.

[indistinct chatter]

Pam:
Let me tell you,
when we got Chance,

it was his last chance
to have a permanent home,

and my last chance
to have a baby at my age.

And God bless God
for giving it to me.

[applause]

And I love you all.
Thank you all

for honoring my son.
[laughing]

♪♪

This is Chance.

He just said "hello"
in chimpanzee.

Isn't that sweet?
Can you wave to everyone?

Put your hand up and wave.

-[table rattling]
-[people laughing]

I'm forever grateful
for having him

for the 15 years
that I had him.

You give me that ball.
You give me that ball!

You better give me that ball.

I don't care if I empty
my banking account,

sell my property, sell my car.

I'd do it again.

audience:
Aww.

Pam:
I still have three chimps.

[chain link fence rattling]

Ricky, stop.

They are my whole life.

[solemn piano music continues]

But my heart is broken.

So, if anybody
has a baby out there

that they need to place
where it'll have a forever home

and live like a millionaire...
[laughing]

...to bring him
to my house, okay?

-[chain link fence rattling]
-[chimps huffing]

[music fades out]

-[phone ringing]
-Oh, here she is.

Here she is, hold on.

Hey, Tonia.
What's happening?

Tonia [on phone]:
You gotta realize,

I got a broken foot.
[chuckles]

So, anything we do,
I have to have my--

Alright, I'm here.
I pulled in.

-Okay, I'll see you in a second.
-Tonia: Okay. Okay, bye.

Eric:
How did you hurt your foot?

[laughing]
That's...

that's another story.
Um, it is what it is.

[cows mooing]

There's so much
going on with PETA.

Last Monday,
there was a ruling

that stated that I had
to, uh, pay PETA

$225,000 in attorney fees.

-Eric: Do you have money?
-No. [scoffs]

Not at this point, no.

Um, it's been dumped
into the zoo over here.

And addition to that,
the brokering market

is pretty low right now.

Plus, I can't drive.
I can't go pick up animals.

I can't do anything.

[curious music playing]

I'm always used to hustling,
and, you know,

being able to produce money
every week.

And since it hasn't
been happening,

it's been stagnated, it's really
had me very, very concerned.

[truck beeping]

The zoo's gotta be successful.

I have a lot
of anxiety behind it.

♪♪

[power tools whirring]

-caller 1: Hi, Tonia.
-caller 2: Hey, Tonia.

-This is Joanie.
-caller 3: Hi, this is Meg

-with Americollect.
-caller 4: This is Beth.

-I am a debt collector.
-Meg: I'm a debt collector.

This is an attempt
to collect a debt.

Beth:
And this is an attempt
to collect a debt.

Meg:
I'm in the office
Monday through Friday.

Beth:
From 7 a.m. to 9 p.m.

caller 1:
Again, I'm a debt collector.

Meg: Thank you so much,
and have a great day.

Joanie:
Thanks, and have a great day.

Beth:
Thanks, and have a great day.

[people chattering]

[animal noises]

Tonia:
Do I think that as soon as
they find out about the zoo,

Pee-wee Herman
and Brittany Peet

will be at the doors?
Oh, yeah.

Once they get ahold
of somebody,

they don't turn 'em loose
until basically they're k*lled.

[monkey squeaking, chittering]

Yeah, you get to hold a monkey.

I'm gonna let somebody
help me pick names for 'em.

Brittany:
I think Tonia's zoo
is all about serving

as a marketing tool for her
exotic animal sale business.

People have no clue.
Most people never get

to hold a baby, ever.

It's designed to drive up
the demand for pet primates.

And as long as Tonia Haddix

continues abusing
and exploiting animals,

PETA will continue
going after her.

Tonia:
So, there'll always be
baby monkeys,

baby wallabies,
baby everything,

we'll always have a baby
of different types.

So, just 'cause you had
a baby this week

doesn't mean it
will be the same baby.

Eric:
A quarter-million dollars
is a lot of money.

Is it overkill to expect Tonia
to pay that judgment?

This isn't about
Tonia Haddix anymore.

This is about PETA's mission.

That money will go back
into helping more animals.

It's never PETA's intent
to make anyone insolvent.

We don't want Tonia
to be out on the street.

We want her out of the animal
exploitation business.

[birds chirping]

Tonia:
I got an email
from Jared Goodman.

"I write," uh, "for this purpose
of a potential alternative

"in resolution.

"PETA can forgo collections
if Miss Haddix

"would agree to go out
of the animal dealing

and exhibition business."

I cannot breed, sell,
adopt, trade,

negotiate, transport
any kind of animal,

not just exotics.

[laughing]

Sorry.
I'm sorry, this is, uh--

That-That's f*cked up.

That is so f*cked up
and ridiculous.

No.
No, no, no, no.

Now, I'm mad.
Mad, mad, mad.

That's-- No.

There's only one thing
that they could give me

that would get me
to stand down,

and that's Tonka.

If they would give me
my kid back,

I would give 'em
everything they want.

But the realization
just actually set in

for the first time that Tonka
probably won't come home.

["She" by Jelly Roll
plays faintly on stereo]

-[Tonia singing along]
-♪ Before the cold ♪

♪ November rain ♪

♪ If you only knew her smile ♪

♪ Never know
that she's in pain ♪

♪ Nobody ever saw it comin' ♪

♪ It started
with a little pill ♪

♪ One thing led to another ♪

♪ Since then,
it's all been downhill ♪

♪ She was the life
of the party ♪

♪ She was the one everybody
use to want... ♪

I love Tonka.
He-He's my whole heart.

He's my whole life.
I would give up everything.

I'd give up my marriage,
I'd give up anything

if they would let me
have Tonka.

And if they would just
let me visit,

all I'd have to do is say,
"Let's go home, boy."

♪ She's afraid
of comin' down ♪

[music continues]

Tonka would say,
"Mom, how come
I'm not at home?

What the hell happened here?"

♪♪

♪ She's afraid
of comin' down ♪

[song ends]

I'm feeling, um...
sort of nervous.

There's a little churning
in the stomach.

So many years of...

hoping I would see him again,

and in a place
like this as well.

Um,

so, it's quite--
yeah, it's quite a lot.

Feels like this culmination
of a really long odyssey.

[gate rattles]

Hello?

-Hello?
-[intercom beeping]

Oh, it's ringing.

-Hello.
-speaker: Save the Chimps.

-How can I help you?
-Hello.

[clearing throat]
It's Alan Cumming

and, uh, uh,
some filmy people.

♪♪

keeper:
So, we're on 150 acres,

each with, uh,
large social groups.

Thirteen to 23 chimps
in each of the social groups.

This is Tonka's island
here on the right.

[chimps screeching]

Alan Cumming:
Actually knowing
that he's here is...

just sort of...

Oh, look.

Wow.
I recognize him.

[gentle music playing]

[sniffles]

[chimp hooting]

♪♪

It's easy to forget how insane
this whole thing was,

like, all the years
of court cases and lies.

And, I mean,
it was just insane.

Finally, it was sort of calm

for the first time
in this whole story.

♪♪

I really hope Tonia
might think that too.

I really hope that she will
watch this and will hopefully...

I-I--

I hope she might understand.
Hope-- I might--

Yeah, I really hope she might
be at peace with this,

with watching this.

[gentle music continues]

[chimp hooting softly]

[music fades out]

-[doorbell ringtone]
-Siri: Tonia Haddix.

[doorbell ringtone]

-Dwayne: Yo.
-Tonia [on phone]: I f*cked up.

I admit that I
did something stupid.

Dwayne:
Where, where are you?
What's going on?

Tonia:
It's gonna be
national headlines,

'cause with my name
on a chimp situation,

you know what
that's gonna bring.

I mean, come on.

Oh, you don't even
frickin' know.

-[Tonia continues indistinctly]
-[tense music playing]

Two days ago,
I get a call from Tonia

telling me that she went
to visit a friend of hers

who had a chimp.

[tense music continues]

And she got in the enclosure
with an adult male chimp.

Tonia:
He was so sweet
through the cage.

But as soon as
I went in there,

I mean, I didn't even get
a chance to sit down.

He was mauling me.

It was kinda like Charla Nash.

I have a couple questions.
[chuckles]

-Eric: Okay.
-Can you see that bandage

on my ear?

[Eric speaking]

Okay, 'cause it's
pretty big, so.

And it's white,
so, you know,

it pretty much
sticks out pretty hard.

[Eric speaking]

No.
[laughing]

No. No.
That's-- No.

Everything's fine.
It is, it's great.

Great, great, great.

Great.

I think I startled him,
and I think he just, uh,

kinda lost it a little bit.
[chuckles]

And I just turned away from him

because I didn't want
my face to be attacked

because he got my finger.

[ominous music playing]

That's how my arm
got dislocated.

It just got pulled
out of socket.

[Eric speaking]

Um, I got 'em on my legs,
I got one right here.

I ha-- Just a little bit
on my legs,

and mainly this hand,
and that's it.

And the ear, and that's it.

♪♪

He took a tip of the ear off.
Just a piece.

And so, um, once the owner
got him to retort,

I just had to leave.
I just had to get out of there,

and I had to go to the hospital.
[chuckles]

[Eric speaking]

Well, I wanted my ear
to be salvaged,

and so I had
to go to the hospital.

So, I did.

Every time I go to sleep,
I have nightmares

over the situation.

But ask me today
if I would own a chimp

or if I'd own a baboon,
of if I'd own, um, a capuchin,

or if I'd own
any kind of primate

that could potentially
do that to me.


♪♪

In fact, I came up
with a new idea.

There's a new island
for sale here,

and it's a very famous island
here at the lake.

I want to sell the zoo
and buy that island.

I want to get some chimps,
or get some orangutans,

or I'd take a gorilla, even,
and just let 'em be free.

I'm gonna do the same thing
Save the Chimps does,

except I'm gonna live
with them, among them.

We're all gonna
cohabitate together.

You know,
if they wanna do art,

or if they wanna come
into the house and eat lunch,

they can come in the house
and eat lunch.

I would name it
"Tonka Safari".

I want to dedicate
anything to him.

I just want to live in--
I don't know, just with chimps.

And then that's it.
End of story.

♪♪

[solemn music playing]

♪♪

[music fades out]