While there are no public reports and estimations about the net worth of the HBO Max docuseries Chimp Crazy star Tonia Haddix, she is yet to pay a whopping $240,000 to PETA for faking the demise of her pet chimpanzee Tonka.
Tonia Haddix, the former nurse and self-titled ‘Dolly Parton of Chimps,’ was the central character in the four-part HBO documentary series. The docuseries highlights her legal battle and the complications surrounding exotic animal ownership.
La série documentaire HBO "CHIMP CRAZY" est disponible sur Max.
— Max Actu FR (Fan) (@MaxActuFR) August 19, 2024
Elle suit Tonia Haddix, une femme qui aime tellement un chimpanzé qu'elle entre en conflit avec les autorités et des militants des droits des animaux. pic.twitter.com/0CKMHRmPYr
The final fourth part of the series, debuting on August 18, came out on September 8, 2024. It revealed Tonka’s fate now with struggling Tonia Haddix to let go of her pet.
Now that Tonia Haddix has yet to pay large sums for legal fees and perjury charges, her net worth and financial situation have sparked interest online.
Tonia Haddix and her husband, Jerry Aswegan, own Sunrise Beach Safari near the Lake of the Ozarks!
Before getting into the exotic animal business, Tonia Haddix was a registered nurse, married to Gary Dean Haddix.
According to online reports, the average salary of a registered nurse in the US was around $60,000 in 2010. Meanwhile, her husband used to work as a truck driver and later at Ruggles Farms. So, it is clear that Tonia Haddix had little before entering the exotic animal broker business.
In late 2018, Connie Casey, the owner of the Missouri Primate Foundation, transferred ownership of seven chimpanzees to Tonia Haddix.
@GaryandShannon Whatever Happened to Tonia Haddix? 😳 pic.twitter.com/EGc1xjq3s6
— Marianelapurr (@notmeagain) August 2, 2022
She raised them in the Missouri facility, which People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had sued in 2017 over the living conditions of the primates.
While it’s unknown if Tonia profited monetarily from them, before her, the Festus facility allowed young chimps to be rented for celebratory events.
In 2020, her first husband, Gary Dean Haddix, met his demise, and then in 2021, Tonia Haddix married Jerry Aswegan, a mobile petting zoo business owner.
Just a year prior, in 2023, the couple opened a family-run zoo, Sunrise Beach Safari, near the Lake of the Ozarks.
According to the Safari website, the zoo offers petting zoos, pony rides, and sloth encounters. Moreover, the admission charges range from $10 to $100, depending on the activities and the number of people.
Seeing ‘Chimp Crazy’ led PETA to Urge Criminal Charges Against Tonia Haddixhttps://t.co/gJ0LEbgyZ4#peta#onlinenews#ToniaHaddix pic.twitter.com/TBPe5288O4
— APS Radio News (@ApsRadioNews) September 1, 2024
Before we estimate Tonia Haddix’s net worth, the average cost of housing seven adult chimpanzees ranges over $275K per annum, and it can vary depending on the needs and level of care.
So, to do all that, Tonia Haddix must have a net worth of millions to sustain all those costs. However, as PETA sued her, the living conditions of her chimps were up to the standard, meaning she might not have that much money.
Additional Information
- In an attempt to keep Tonka the chimp, Tonia Haddix faked his demise to the PETA and kept him in the basement for almost a year.
- In June 2022, PETA learned Tonka was alive, living in her finished basement in Sunrise Beach. Following the discovery, Tonka was overweight and reportedly was not receiving any proper veterinary care.
- Later, in March 2023, the court ordered Tonia Haddix to pay PETA $250k for faking Tonka’s demise.
- As of now, Tonka the Chimpanzee is still alive and enjoying his days in Save the Chimps’ sanctuary home in Fort Pierce, Florida.
