A dog may be a man’s best friend but it seems like a chimpanzee isn’t far behind, judging by Alan Cumming’s new offer.
The Scottish actor is offering a huge $10,000 reward for anyone who has information about Tonka, the missing chimp who starred alongside him in the 1997 family comedy film Buddy. With PETA also offering a $10,000 reward, the total reward amounts to $20,000.
Poor Tonka was last spotted in a cage at the now-defunct chimpanzee breeding facility Missouri Primate Foundation, located in Festus, Missouri. Chimpanzees were bred at this facility and rented out to film productions and parties, and were sometimes sold to private owners.
Cumming made a heartfelt plea in a statement. “During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about,” he said. “It’s horrible to think he might 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 claim the reward.”
Tonka has been missing since July 2021, when PETA arrived to transfer him and six other chimpanzees to a proper sanctuary and discovered that he wasn’t there. PETA had previously sued the Missouri Primate Foundation over the terrible living conditions at the facility, noting the mistreated animals “had been warehoused in often filthy, virtually barren enclosures.”
“If you know where Cumming’s former co-star may have been shipped, sold or hidden away, PETA wants to hear from you,” PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet said. “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.”
If anyone has any helpful information, they can submit tips at PETA.org/Tonka.
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