Controversy is erupting around Tonka, an elderly chimpanzee who appeared alongside Brendon Fraser in “George of the Jungle” and co-starred with Alan Cumming in the 1997 film “Buddy”.
Rolling Stone reports that court records indicate that Tonka died last year after suffering a stroke, with the animal’s body burned in a fire pit by owner Tonia Haddix.
However, Tonka was discovered alive and well on Thursday, hidden in Haddix’s Missouri home. Haddix had reportedly faked the animal’s death due to an ongoing legal battle with PETA, which obtained an emergency court order that allowed police to search the home, where Tonka was found enjoying “a 60-inch TV” and “an interactive iPad-like touch device.” READ MORE: Alan Cumming Offers $10,000 Reward For Missing Chimpanzee Co-Star From 199 Comedy ‘Buddy’ According to RS, faking the animal’s death was Haddix’s “last-ditch effort” to keep Tonka after a judge had earlier.
ordered her to turn over the animal, along with six other chimpanzees, to the Center for Great Apes sanctuary in Wauchula, Florida.
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