Chimp Crazy

When I seen Eric Goode had done another documentary, as much I "loved" tiger king. As much it was more for the human drama side. I enjoyed the animal side of it. And all I felt was pity for them.

I'm left feeling peoplecthat take part in those exotic animal ownership have deep routed issues beyond having something that relies on you. And it makes me sad these animals are pretty freely available for them to project this onto.

This doc in the first half made me think maybe she is doing right he won't survive in a new group but the more you watch you realise how inhumane she's actually being to poor Tonka. You see the sadness in his eyes, from his jail cell she calls his home.

I thought it done a good job on the undercover journalism side and the professionals side. It gave it from both points of view and allowed her story to be shared. But ultimately the correct thing was done.

Could have cried at Tonkas new lease of life.

The other featured controversial stories were eye opening.

So it wasn't biased it showed all angles....

I've came out with the view it is wrong. They are not "children" not for "entertainment".

I found this documentary hard to watch due to its overwhelming sadness and delusional ideology of those whom think it's acceptable to lock up and breed wild animals. How anyone can say they love these beautiful animals more than anything yet totally are unable to recognise that these animals are not PETS and locking them in cages dressing them up and feeding them happy meals is a total selfish narcissistic self serving and nothing to do with bettering any animals life! A lot of Americans seem to be obsessed with owning species that should NEVER be owned . Seems the US are not big on laws when it comes to wildlife protection.

Ignore the bad reviews. Probably an honest 7.5 rating, but, unfortunately, misguided "one" ratings need to be balanced in the equation.

This series does not glorify exotic animal ownership. Quite the opposite, in fact. The docu-series exposes what's wrong with owning primates, and sheds some needed light on some of the truly unhinged people that own (or want to own) them. In NO way does it advocate for owning chimps.

It's a natural follow-on to "The Tiger King", with a "colorful" main character, who thinks PETA is the problem. Exotic animals are beautiful, and compelling in many ways, but in no way should they be brought into people's homes and treated like pet or family members. If you are an animal lover, and enjoyed "The Tiger King", this series warrants a look.

I recently watched Chimp Crazy (2024) on MAX, a highly recommended docuseries that explores the life of a woman who raises chimpanzees from infancy to adulthood. The series delves into her legal battles with PETA, as well as the challenges she faces with her loved ones and the chimps as they mature. Additionally, she's involved in the exotic animal trade, and the docuseries shares tragic side stories from others who have raised animals purchased from her.

Created by Eric Goode (Tiger King), this series is a fascinating character study of someone whose obsession with animals and it becomes their identity. There are also some unsettling undertones regarding the relationships formed with these animals. As expected, much of the story is sad from the animals' perspective, but it's equally wild when viewed through the lens of human behavior. The things people do with these animals are unbelievable, and when the chimps attack-if and when it happens-you almost feel it's justified, given their nature and the unnatural situations they're placed in. The series serves as a stark reminder that, no matter how much we try to train them, animals are still animals at heart.

In conclusion, Chimp Crazy is a gripping exploration of the complex relationship between humans and wild animals, making it a must-watch for fans of Tiger King or Grizzly Man. I would rate it 8-8.5/10 and strongly recommend it.

First off, I'm a dog owning omnivore & not a fan of a lot of PETA's nonsense. Renaming fish "kittens of the sea" & whatnot. "Vegan" leather is plastic garbage in a year.

HOWEVER... here we appear to be in 100% agreement. Plus I love Alan Cumming. He's really quite lovely in his passion about this particular case.

This woman should not EVER be allowed to own ANY kind of animal again, & ESPECIALLY not a primate of any kind. NOBODY should be allowed to own a chimp, orangutan or higher primate of that nature. Every single person shown owning one was genuinely mentally unwell. Willing to abandon their husbands, children, entire lives for their ape "child." They are completely disconnected from reality & enabled by their husbands, people around them, & lax/nonexistent federal laws.

The conditions these animals are kept in are so inhumane. Tonia flat-out lies & says Tonka had "free run" of several rooms that people ALSO had access to, plus large glass windows w/ no bars. Yet not once do we EVER see her interact with him without big bars between them because while she's delusional, she's not THAT stupid (though after episode 4... apparently she is).

Those involved with this show are also HUGE enablers as well for letting her get away with what she was doing for so long.

The show glosses over the fact that she pays for the chimps by trafficking other exotics & primates. Nobody who TRULY cares for animals would be a part of that. Seriously. That's absolutely awful.

This, like most "reality" programming, feels like exploitation of people who are stupid, desperate, lonely, narcissistic &/or mentally ill. Like a 21st century version of circus freak shows.

At least in this case it's the animals that "win" (the ones that don't die anyway) and wealthy white people that suffer in the end.