Tiger King zoo closes with immediate effect
The big cat zoo at the centre of the Netflix documentary Tiger King has closed its doors for good.
Owner Jeff Lowe said the zoo would be closing with immediate effect and blamed animal rights charity Peta.
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma became famous through the Tiger King documentary and had been owned by the star of the show Joseph Maldonado-Passage – also known as Joe Exotic.
Earlier this year, Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22-years in prison for his role in a 2017 murder-for-hire plot to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of a Florida animal sanctuary and for multiple wildlife violations.
In June, the zoo was handed to Baskin following a $1m (£795,000) trademark dispute ruling, giving the current owner 120 days to leave.
Mr Lowe wrote on Facebook: “The Tiger King phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways. 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.”
He added: “As of today, we have decided to close the old zoo effective immediately.”
Mr Lowe said he voluntarily forfeited his United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) exhibitor's licence, before the government body suspended it “for a litany of falsehoods”.
He said the USDA had “folded to the pressures of Peta and continue to make false accusations against me".
Peta spokesperson Brittany Peet called for Lowe’s licence to be permanently revoked, adding: “His tiger-terrorizing days may soon be over.
"Peta looks forward to seeing every one of the long-suffering animals at the GW Zoo be transferred to an appropriate facility where it won’t take federal intervention for a sick cat to receive veterinary care.”
Mr Lowe said the animals from the zoo will “continue to have excellent care” and added his new park will act as a “private film set” for “Tiger King related television content for cable and streaming services.”