Tiger King filmmaker to release bizarre new documentary titled Chimp Crazy

The filmmaker who directed Tiger King is at the helm of Chimp Crazy – a new docu-series about “chimp mums” who raise chimpanzees as pets.

If there has been a Tiger King-shaped hole in your viewing lives since the surprise documentary series aired on Netflix fours year ago, then behold this new offering from HBO, titled Chimp Crazy.

Filmmaker Eric Goode, who directed Tiger King, is at the helm of Chimp Crazy – a four-part docu-series about colourful “chimp mums” who raise chimpanzees as pets, even treating them like their own children.

Chimp Crazy features Tonia Haddix, who breeds her chimps in captivity. Picture: Binge

One “mum” in particular is Tonia Haddix, a former nurse-turned-exotic animal broker who refers to herself as the “Dolly Parton of chimps”.

In a teaser trailer released on Monday by BINGE – the platform will air the show locally from August 19 – Tonia could be seen in a pink bedroom filled with bunk beds and stuffed animals as she talks about the bond she shares with her “kids”, particularly Tonka, one of the seven pet chimps she breeds as talent for commercials, photo shoots, and even movies.

Stream Chimp Crazy on BINGE from August 19, available on Hubbl.

Tonia is seen in a pink bedroom she seemingly reserves for her seven pet chimpanzees. Picture: Binge

“Tonka and I just found each other,” she said in the clip of the 32-year-old retired Hollywood chimp. “And Tonka loved me as much as I loved Tonka.”

However, her story takes an unexpected turn when Tonka goes missing and Tonia is faced with a lawsuit brought by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

An unexpected turn sees Tonia make headlines for Tonka’s disappearance. Picture: Binge

“I would give anything I had, possession-wise, up for that child. I would give my life for him, and that’s exactly what I did, to be honest,” she said in the trailer, as footage of police and authorities play out on screen.

The series also highlights the risks humans take when they try to raise wild animals in a domestic setting, as well as the toll the set-up takes on the animals themselves.

Netflix docu-series Tiger King followed the life of Joe Exotic. Picture: Netflix

The CEO of the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary, Carole Baskin, was heavily featured in the doco. Picture: Netflix

Goode’s directorial efforts in Tiger King saw the series become one of Netflix’s most successful releases. According to Nielsen, the first season was watched by 34.3 million people over its first 10 days since it premiered.

The series follows former zookeeper Joe Exotic who ends up in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to kill Carole Baskin, the CEO of the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary in Florida.

The series is full of twists and turns with Baskins herself once the prime suspect in the 1997 disappearance of her then-husband, millionaire Don Lewis.

Chimp Crazy premieres on August 19 on BINGE