Kriti Mehrotra
As a four-part documentary series that delves deep into the tale of the self-proclaimed Dolly Parton of chimps, Tonia Haddix, HBO’s Eric Goode-directed ‘Chimp Crazy’ is simply gripping. That’s because she lied about one of her primates, Tonka, being dead for a year just so she wouldn’t have to give him up to the authorities when he was really living in a cage in her basement. Amongst those to thus be mentioned in this original was actually Connie Braun Casey, a chimpanzee breeder and trainer whom the former deemed her idol in more ways than one.
Connie Casey’s Love For Animals Stemmed at an Early Age
While details regarding Connie’s early years and upbringing are unclear, we do know she has always had a passion for animals and that this passion only grew once she got married. According to her own accounts, she got married young to a man whose deep love for animals went even beyond hers, so she went from not really having any pets in the house to having many, which only sparked her interest further. This led them to open a pet shop in 1969, which they ran for nearly a decade, unaware she would soon get her hands on a chimpanzee as a pet at the age of 23 and realized she had an inexplicable connection with him.
It was in the mid-1970s that Connie got another primate, only for them to become a part of her family – they slept in their bed, ate food with them, and then accompanied them to work in the lower level of their house. She had no idea that soon after raising them with her own three kids, these chimps would go on to have their own babies, driving her to the path of breeding. “It was basically like a dream come true,” she once said. “Chimps are big and they are strong. I’m not saying they are pets for everybody, but for somebody that’s really dedicated and loves them, there’s nothing better than a baby ChimpChimp in your arms. [It feels] very close to having your human baby… They’re still just as special when they grow up.”
Connie Casey Bred, Trained, and Sold Chimps
According to reports, it wasn’t until Mike Casey came into Connie’s life that the farm she had built as a breeder essentially evolved into a sanctuary where they also trained animals for entertainment. Whether it be ‘Buddy,’ ‘George of the Jungle,’ and ‘Speed Racer,’ they provided chimps for all major productions, only for them to soon begin facing legal trouble for failing to meet the minimum federal standards for the care of animals as established in the Animal Welfare Act (AWA). They did rebrand their company from Chimparty to the Missouri Primate Foundation (MPF), updated the chimp cells, and built safer zones for their other animals, but it didn’t pan out.
The first notice Connie received was in 1998, followed by another in 2001 after three chimps escaped their cages and one had to be shot. Then there were additional ones in 2004, 2005, 2008, and several more from 2011 to 2015, only for PETA to then get involved too. The fact one of her chimps, Travis, who she’d sold to Sandy Herold, escaped and mauled one of the latter’s friends didn’t paint a good picture of them either, so they were told the animals had to be taken away for ethical reasons. It didn’t matter that she had essentially relinquished control to Tonia Haddix for a long while because it was still her property, so the chimps were ultimately taken away.
Connie Casey Now Leads a Quiet Life
It was back in 2018 that Connie gave her last interview, well before her beloved chimps were taken away and she found herself named in a myriad of legal documents, but it appears as if she continues to run MPF to this day. After all, she likely still has her dogs, cats, zebras, baboons, capuchins, smaller monkeys, etc., to look after and breed, all the while being surrounded by her now partner, Dr. Doug, and being in close proximity to her three children. It seems like she is currently trying her best to move on from the past while remaining tight-lipped about everything that really happened.
Read More: Tonia Haddix: Where is the Chimp Mom Now?
