Carole Baskin of ‘Tiger King’ fame donated $1,000 to North Carolina’s Burr
Carole Baskin, one of the main characters of the popular “Tiger King” Netflix documentary, donated $1,000 to North Carolina Republican U.S. Sen. Richard Burr.
Baskin, who has given to politicians in both parties and animal rights groups since 2007, made the donation on Feb. 5, according to Burr’s latest filing with the Federal Election Commission.
Baskin gave $1,000 to the 2020 presidential campaign of Democratic Sen. Cory Booker and has previously donated to Senate Republicans Pat Toomey of Pennsylvania, Susan Collins of Maine and John Barrasso of Wyoming.
Burr won re-election in 2016 and said he would not seek re-election in 2022. His fundraising totals back that up: He reported raising just $7,055 in the first quarter of 2020.
Baskin is the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Florida, which seeks to end the global trade of tigers and lions and other big cats. She is featured prominently in “Tiger King,” which tells the story of Joe Exotic, who owned a big cat zoo in Oklahoma, and his feud with Baskin.
Joe Exotic, born Joseph Schreibvogel, was convicted last year of attempting to hire someone to kill Baskin in 2017. He is was sentenced earlier this year to 22 years in federal prison.
In 2010, Burr introduced bipartisan legislation banning so-called animal “crush” videos, which “are violent, obscene depictions of animal cruelty,” according to a press release from his office at the time. Burr lists the Animal Crush Prohibition Act among his legislative accomplishments on his website.
“Tiger King” has become a cultural phenomenon, and President Donald Trump was asked about Joe Exotic at one of his coronavirus White House briefings. One of the biggest mysteries in the series is what happened to Baskin’s ex-husband who went missing in 1997 and has been declared dead.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, a Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, wild-animal zookeeper featured in the series, donated $2,500 to Burr in 2016.
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