Kriti Mehrotra
With HBO’s ‘Chimp Crazy’ chronicling the way Tonia Haddix broke all bounds in her quest to keep her pet chimpanzee with her, we get a documentary series unlike any other. That’s because she lied, manipulated, and got several loved ones to do so, too, all the while a camera crew was following her around every step of the way. However, while she believed it was for a Dwayne Cunningham original, it was actually being helmed by Eric Goode, whose last production (‘Tiger King’) was truly just as controversial.
Dwayne Cunningham’s Passion for Animals Made Him a Believable Director
While not much is known about Dwayne’s early years, we do know he has always had a passion for animals and once served as a circus clown too, which made him have a lot of compassion. And it was this that came across every step of the way during his initial conversations with former nurse-turned-exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix, making her be open to being the subject of a documentary series. However, little did she know that while Dwayne was asking all the right questions and was able to navigate through the interviews himself, he had essentially been coached by Eric Goode to get what was needed.
But alas, neither of them could have ever expected that Toni would orchestrate a year-long hoax about her celebrity chimp Tonka just so she wouldn’t have to give him up and then confide in Dwayne about possibly putting him down. That’s when he and Eric knew they had to inform PETA regarding what she was doing, resulting in them storming the house and taking Tonka away, who had resided in her basement for around a year. However, Tonia maintains she only had the primates’ best interest at heart and that she loves him more than anything in this world, which is why she’s still fighting with PETA to get permission to at least visit him.
Dwayne Cunningham is An Exotic Animal Expert
When Dwayne was 19, he kickstarted his career as a clown, only to fall in love with animals and become an expert in them in more ways than one. He himself has faced legal trouble upon having been caught illegally trading reptiles, for which he was sentenced to 14 months in federal prison, yet he has since done everything in his power to work with them legally. In fact, the Pennsylvania native worked at the Kay Rosaire-owned Big Cat Habitat in Sarasota, Florida, for a long time before working at the Doc Wasabi Animal Show at Jungle Island.
Nevertheless, today, this Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Clown College graduate, former Clown at Ringling Bros Barnum and Bailey Circus, and former Clown at Circus Vargas simply serves as an Animal Consultant and freelance Clown. With tricks like juggling, animal riding, alligator facing, and snake handling, Dwayne has extensive knowledge of all kinds of big animals, exotic or not. This blend of professions is ideal for him. That’s because it enables him to focus on his passion, all the while having quite a lot of free time for his family.
Dwayne Cunningham is Quite Close With His Family
While it doesn’t appear as if Dwayne has a life partner or any children, he is surrounded by family at every turn — the family he grew up with in every sense. From what we can tell, he is especially close to his army official brother Vincent, his two sisters, as well as his Aunt Edith Jubilee, who continues to support his ambitions. He was also very close with his late father, Adam, whose seemingly unwavering sense of care and love guided him throughout his life. We should also mention that whether it be spiders, snakes, ostriches, porcupines, kangaroos, elephants, money, or cows, he works with all of them to this day. Nevertheless, he also dedicates some of his time to his other interest of traveling the world, which he gets to do thanks to clients as well as his successful vision of promoting the circus plus exotic animals.
Read More: Connie Casey: Where is the Chimp Mom Now?
