The convoluted war between the two main subjects of Netflix’s docuseriesTiger King has somehow managed to escalate. Yesterday a federal court granted Carole Baskin, the founder of Big Cat Rescue, ownership of Joe Exotic’s Oklahoma zoo, after the titular character of the Netflix documentary failed to pay Baskin $1 million from a previous judgment, Courthouse News reports. In an attempt to avoid having to pay Baskin or have the zoo seized, a judge found that Exotic had fraudulently transferred ownership of the zoo to his mother. Despite the noticeably poor conditions provided to the animals, the G.W Exotic Animal Memorial Park has been open and operating under the oversight of Jeff Lowe, a man portrayed as a grifter in the documentary.
Baskin has yet to comment on what she will do with the zoo, but according to the ruling, she is only entitled to the land and “several cars and cabins” on the property. Jeff Lowe will have 120 days to vacate the area, and all of the zoo animals must be removed as well. These tigers just can’t catch a fucking break.
After allegedly trying to have Baskin killed, Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison. However, he claims that his imprisonment is a far-reaching conspiracy by animal rights activists to keep him out of business. While these two continue to jab at each other in a never-ending spiral of music videos and lawsuits, the big cats are still behind cages for the sake of profit and not protection.
