‘Tiger King’ Zoo Shut Down After Feds Suspend Its License

TOPLINE

The zoo that was once owned by Joe Exotic and featured prominently in the massively popular Netflix series, “Tiger King,” announced late Tuesday it is closed “effectively immediately” to the public after its federal animal exhibition license was suspended.

KEY FACTS

Critical Quote:

“The Tiger King phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways,” Lowe said. “It has brought us more attention than any human deserves, good and bad. It has, and probably will continue to make us a target of every nutjob and animal rights loon in the world, but we are prepared.

Key Background:

The park’s previous owner, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who went by the name Joe Exotic, was sentenced in April to 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot and abusing animals. Exotic was convicted of shooting and killing five tigers, to make room for other cats. A jury found Maldonado-Passage guilty of trying to hire someone to kill Carole Baskin, who was also a principal figure in Netflix’s “Tiger King.” Earlier this month, the family of Don Lewis, Baskin’s former husband, who disappeared in 1997, hired an attorney who announced a renewed investigation into the disappearance. The family is also offering a reward of $100,000 in exchange for information to help solve the case. Lewis reportedly left behind $5 million in assets. The legal team representing the Lewis family has filed a lawsuit against Baskin, aiming to depose her and have her testify on the record. 

Big Number:

34.1 Million: That’s how many views Tiger King generated over just its first ten days on Netflix.

Further Reading:

$100K Reward Offered For Info On Disappearance Of Former Husband Of ‘Tiger King’ Star Carole Baskin (Forbes) 

All Of The ‘Tiger King’ Drama That Has Unfolded Since The Series Ended (Forbes) 

Zoo owned by ‘Tiger King’ Joe Exotic has been closed down for good (Yahoo)