Alan Cumming has joined forces with the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) organization to try to locate a chimpanzee with whom he became “good friends” when they worked together on the comedy 1997 ‘Buddy’.
The film was based on the true story of the socialite of the years 20 Gertrude Lintz, who raised monkeys as part of her family, and one of the main primate named Tonka has mysteriously disappeared in recent months
“During the time we worked together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, we played and groomed each other and, in In general, we had a lot of fun”, he recalled in a statement. “It’s horrible to think that I could be in a cage in a dark basement somewhere or have ended up in some other similar place.”
The interpreter has asked for help from anyone who knows what has become of the chimpanzee and has offered as an incentive a reward of 000 .000 dollars in order for your appeal to receive as much attention as possible. According to PETA, which has added another 10.000 dollars to that figure, Tonka was last seen in a cage of the former Missouri Primate Foundation -formerly known as Chimparty-, which the organization describes as a “notorious primate breeding facility” to rent out for movies or parties.
PETA had previously sued this company for the conditions in which the chimpanzees were found and obtained permission to rescue seven of them, including Tonka, whom he planned to transfer to a sanctuary.
Sadly, when they went to pick up the animals last July, Tonka had disappeared and her owner, Tonia Haddix, stated that she had “died”.
In January, a judge ruled that the woman’s testimony was unreliable, so the organization has embarked on a search against the clock to locate Tonka .