Some of the tigers rescued from ‘Tiger King Park’ are now in North Carolina
Four tigers, who were among 68 big cats removed from Tiger King Park by federal authorities last week, are being cared for in North Carolina.
Carolina Tiger Rescue in Pittsboro announced Tuesday it is housing four tigers while the U.S. Justice Department seeks permanent forfeiture of the animals from the Oklahoma park made famous in the Netflix show “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness” last year.
Federal officials were able to temporarily remove the animals after charging Tiger King Park zookeeper Jeffrey Lowe and his wife, Lauren, with “ongoing Endangered Species Act violations” while caring for the animals.
“We are glad to see the Department of Justice working hard to better the lives of big cats in captivity, beginning with Tiger King Park,” Pam Fulk, Carolina Tiger Rescue executive director, said in a statement. “We thank everyone who was involved in this operation.”
Jeff Lowe was a central figure in “Tiger King,” which featured a mullet-wearing zookeeper named Joe Exotic and became a cultural phenomenon last year. Joe Exotic, a pseudonym for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison in Texas for his 2020 conviction on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws.
Carolina Tiger Rescue is the state’s only big cat sanctuary accredited by federal officials as well as the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. The sanctuary is open to the public, but only for guided tours that require reservations.
The animals were originally at Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, a zoo whose beginnings were the subject of the Netflix show. After that facility was shut down last August, the 68 animals were moved to Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
The Associated Press reported three December inspections resulted in the Lowes receiving numerous citations for failing to properly care for the animals. A federal judge last week ruled the couple in contempt of court because they failed to comply with court orders to establish a veterinary care program for the animals, including employing a veterinarian. According to the Associated Press, the Lowes’ attorney, Daniel Card, said they “want out completely” of the business.
“They don’t want to fight this anymore. They don’t want to do it,” Card told the judge, according to the Associated Press.
The judge ordered the removal of the 68 animals, including tigers, lions, tiger-lion hybrids and a jaguar. The last animal was removed on Sunday.
In 2018, a 22-year-old intern was killed at a North Carolina wildlife center in Caswell County when a lion escaped from a holding pen.
This story was originally published May 25, 2021 at 1:11 PM.