Alan Cumming is searching for Tonka, the beloved chimpanzee that starred alongside him in the 1997 comedy "Buddy," and is offering a $10,000 reward for information regarding the missing primate.
Tonka was last seen caged at the now inoperable Missouri Primate Foundation, which bred chimpanzees and then rented them out for movies and parties or sold them to private owners, according to Variety.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), which has put up its own $10,000 reward for information about Tonka's whereabouts, bringing the total reward to $20,000, initially sued the foundation for subjecting its animals to "filthy" living conditions.
The animal rights group then got permission to move Tonka and six other chimpanzees to an accredited sanctuary. However, when PETA arrived to make the transfer in July 2021, they discovered that Tonka was missing.
"Owner Tonia Haddix claimed that he [Tonka] had 'died,' but told various stories that didn't add up and failed to prove that this was the case," PETA said. "She had previously stated that PETA would never get him.
"In January, a judge found that mystery surrounds the primate's disappearance and that Haddix's testimony was not credible, leaving PETA and Cumming to try to determine his whereabouts or perhaps his final resting place."
In a statement, Cumming recalled the time he spent with Tonka while filming for "Buddy," which starred Robbie Coltrane and Rene Russo, about a couple who adopt and raise Buddy, a gorilla.
"During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about," Cumming said in a statement, according to Variety. "It's horrible to think he might be in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have met some other fate, so I'm appealing to whoever knows what has become of him to please come forward [and] claim the reward."
Brittany Peet, PETA Foundation deputy general counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement, has asked for the public to come forth with any information they may have regarding Tonka's disappearance.
"If he's still alive, Tonka deserves to live out the rest of his days surrounded by chimpanzee friends at a lush sanctuary, as ordered by the court, and someone out there might be able to help PETA get him there," she said.
Zoe Papadakis ✉
Zoe Papadakis is a Newsmax writer based in South Africa with two decades of experience specializing in media and entertainment. She has been in the news industry as a reporter, writer and editor for newspapers, magazine and websites.
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