The documentary Chimp Crazy, available on HBO Max, is the fascinating but disturbing new series from the makers of Netflix hit Tiger King. This time, the spotlight is on the world of people who keep chimpanzees as pets. At AAP, we can confirm that what the series shows is far from exaggerated. In fact, what may seem extreme in the series is all too familiar to us.
‘Chimp moms’
“The documentary follows Tonia Haddix, a former nurse who describes herself as the ‘Dolly Parton of chimpanzees’. Tonia’s love for her chimpanzee Tonka leads to a cat-and-mouse game with the authorities and animal rights organisation PETA. This story, along with those of other so-called ‘chimp moms’, shows how strong the bonds between owners and their intelligent great apes can be. But it also shows the great risks people take by raising these animals as family members and the even greater risks to the welfare of the animals themselves.” (source: HBO)
Extremely lonely
At AAP, we see the harrowing consequences of practices such as those in “Chimp Crazy” every day. Chimpanzees are not pets (and fortunately have been banned as pets in the Netherlands for a long time), circus performers or photo models. They are wild animals with complex social lives and natural behaviour that they cannot exhibit in the living room. Spending their entire lives with people who do not understand them is extremely lonely for the animal and extremely dangerous for humans. When young, they seem manageable, but once mature, chimpanzees are unpredictable and, above all, very strong.
Zapping
Chimpanzee Marria, for example, was stolen from the wild as a baby and never had the chance to grow up in a natural environment. Instead, she was treated like a human child, which damaged her greatly. For thirteen years, she lived with a family in Portugal, cut off from other chimpanzees and integrated into family life.
Marria ate at the table with cutlery, wore clothes, painted, read magazines, brushed her teeth and used the remote control to zap to her favourite TV programmes. At first glance, this may seem touching and even admirable. But in reality, it is above all very tragic. Fortunately, Marria is now doing well.
At AAP, we will follow this four-part HBO documentary series with interest and hope that the message comes across clearly: wild animals belong in the wild and should not be playthings for people who want to subject them to their will for their entire lives. This applies not only to these chimpanzees, but to countless exotic animal species that people bring into their homes.
