Chimp Crazy: Dolly Parton Hair, Chimps in Hotels, and a Docuseries You Won’t Forget

M-Net’s new docuseries uncages a bizarre real-life drama of maternal bonds, missing chimps, and questionable ethics in the exotic animal world.

Get ready to go bananas. Chimp Crazy, the jaw-dropping new docuseries from the creators of the wildly popular Tiger King, premieres on M-Net this Thursday, 7 August at 10 pm, and it’s every bit as bizarre, unsettling, and addictive.

At the centre of the four-part series is former nurse-turned-exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix, who describes herself as “the Dolly Parton of chimps”. With her big hair, head-to-toe pink wardrobe, and deep affection for her chimps, Haddix is anything but your average pet owner.

Her tale takes a surreal turn when American authorities and animal rights group PETA catch wind of her operations — leading to a high-stakes tug-of-war over a chimp named Tonka. What unfolds is almost too strange to believe: think abductions, a chimp hidden in a Holiday Inn, and a mysterious bag of pink-tinted ‘ashes’.

A twisted tale of love, control and captivity

Haddix’s journey began when she took over the Missouri Primate Foundation — a former pet shop turned party-and-film chimp rental company. As the chimps grew older and more aggressive, public safety concerns mounted. Haddix stepped in, claiming a maternal bond with the primates — particularly Tonka.

But her affection for the animals blurs the line between care and control. As Slate’s Sam Adams notes, Chimp Crazy “isn’t meant to be wolfed down in one gulp… it’s made to be chewed on and lingered over — even if it leaves a bad taste in your mouth.”

More than just monkey business

Unlike Tiger King, this series trades shock factor for slow-burning complexity. Haddix and other so-called ‘chimp moms’ insist on the emotional connections they share with their primate companions, even as the series captures scenes of stress, trauma, and psychological distress among the animals.

The Guardian’s Lucy Mangan calls it a study in bleak emotional entanglements — a world where both humans and animals seem trapped in cycles of unmet needs. “You long for a reckoning,” she writes, “rather than just a rescue.”

Record-breaking reception

Within its first week of airing, Chimp Crazy pulled in over two million viewers, setting it on course to become HBO’s most-watched docuseries since McMillions in 2020.

Love it or loathe it, this is one series that’s bound to spark conversation — and possibly outrage. Just don’t expect it to go quietly.