Alan Cumming is on a mission to highlight “abuses happening at private zoos”.
Alan Cumming is on a mission to highlight ‘abuses happening at private zoos’
‘The Traitors US’ host and actor, 59, who starred alongside male chimpanzee Tonka in the 1997 film ‘Buddy’, says he can “empathise” with the creatures – and now wants his new ‘Chimp Crazy’ HBO documentary to spotlight the chimp trade and the ill-treatment of the animals in captivity.
He opened up to the New York Times about the project, which follows exotic animal broker Tonia Haddix as she is involved in a “years-long saga” involving her, Tonka, PETA and Alan – with the four-part series also focusing on private primate ownership and the “folly” of “imposing human traits onto captive apes” who have “no agency over where or how they live”.
Alan said: “I really empathise with the people in this documentary, especially as someone who has really, truly loved the chimp myself.”
He said he found Tonka “very gentle” and added he agreed to appear in the HBO documentary as he was already working with PETA on a campaign to rescue the famous chimp.
Alan teamed up with PETA in 2022 to help find out what happened to his primate friend – and even offered $10,000 for information leading to his discovery, before a team of PETA rescuers eventually discovered Tonka’s location and relocated him to a sanctuary.
Alan added he wanted to put the spotlight back on the chimp trade and “the abuses happening at private zoos” by contributing to the documentary.
He also stressed he hasn’t worked with wild animals since ‘Buddy’, adding: “We don’t need to (use them in films) anymore. I have lived through that change, being someone who actually was in a film with wild animals to someone who is actively campaigning for that not to happen.
“It’s a big journey. I was naïve and I was ignorant. I really do understand the deep love.
“But that’s hurting the animal – the animal’s not getting to live the life they were supposed to live.”
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