A famous chimpanzee was found alive in the basement of a Missouri home after its owner faked the primate’s death, in an apparent attempt to retain custody, according to court documents.
Tonka graced the silver screen in such 1990s flicks as “George of the Jungle” and “Buddy,” but the chimp actor has been living not in Hollywood, but Missouri — under the care of an “exotic-animal broker” named Tonia Haddix, according to People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals.
Tonka has also been in the middle of a years-long legal battle among PETA and Haddix, and the now-defunct Missouri Primate Foundation, located in Festus, documents show.
