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Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park ordered to surrender tiger and lion cubs, along with their mothers to the federal government.
Tom Anstey | Planet Attractions | 20 Jan 2021
Joe Exotic was handed a 22-year prison sentence in 2019 for attempting to hire a hitman to kill rival zoo owner Carol Baskin Credit: Netflix
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park - infamous for its role in Netflix’s hit show Tiger King - has been ordered to surrender all of its tiger and lion cubs, along with their mothers, to the federal government.
The zoo in Oklahoma, US, is owned by Jeff and Lauren Lowe, who have been accused of violating the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
"The Lowes have showed a shocking disregard for both the health and welfare of their animals, as well as the law," said the acting assistant attorney general Jonathan D Brightbill of the Justice Department's environment and natural resources division.
The court said that the pair failed “to provide safe conditions, proper nutrition, and timely veterinary care resulted in harm to a number of animals, including the death of two tiger cubs less than a week apart".
The court also rejected a claim from the pair that they were not exhibitors under the Animal Welfare Act, owing to the zoo “still being under construction”.
Jeff Lowe is the former business partner of Tiger King star Joe Exotic.
Since 2019, Exotic has been serving a 22-year prison sentence in Fort Worth, Texas, after being convicted of attempting to hire a hitman to kill his rival Carol Baskin, with the conviction coming alongside as a number of animal abuse charges.
According to multiple reports, Mr Exotic was very confident of a presidential pardon from the outgoing Donald Trump in his final hours in office, though the pardon never materialised.
Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was reportedly so confident, that he had a limousine parked near the prison in preparation for his release, while his team had already “shot a congratulatory video thanking Donald Trump” in anticipation of the move.
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