Alan Cumming Offers $10,000 Reward to Find Missing ‘Buddy’ Co-Star Tonka
Where is Tonka? Actor Alan Cumming is desperate to find his Buddy co-star who has mysteriously vanished.
Cumming and the chimpanzee starred together in the 1997 comedy about Gertrude Lintz, played by Rene Russo, who was "an eccentric 1920's socialite who tries to raise a gorilla, like many chimps before him, as part of her family," according to IMDb.
"During the months we filmed together, baby Tonka and I became good friends, playing and grooming each other and just generally larking about," the 57-year-old actor said in a statement, according to People.
"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," he continued.
The Spy Kids star has pledged to match PETA's $10,000 reward for information regarding the beloved chimp, bridging the total to $20,000.
PETA believes Tonka was last in a cage at the shuttered Missouri Primate Foundation, which they call "a notorious, now-defunct breeding facility in Festus, Missouri that bred baby chimpanzees, rented them out for movies and parties, and sold them to private owners."
"If you know where Cumming's former co-star may have been shipped to, sold, or hidden away, PETA wants to hear from you," PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet explained. "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."
The animal rights organization previously sued the Missouri Primate Foundation over the alleged horrid living conditions of the chimpanzees who were living there.
A judge granted them the right to rescue Tonka, along with six other chimps, and move them to a sanctuary. When PETA arrived at the facility, Tonka was MIA and owner Tonia Haddix told PETA the chimp had "died."
Earlier this year, a judge ruled that Haddix's testimony was not credible. Now, PETA along with Cumming are pleading to the public for their help in finding Tonka.
Anyone with information can call PETA at 757-622-PETA or submit their tip to PETA.org/Tonka.