Several of the tigers once owned by Joe Exotic and featured in Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness are now residing at a Colorado animal sanctuary. The Netflix docuseries pulls back the curtain on the bizarre world of exotic animal ownership, focusing primarily on Joe Exotic and his Oklahoma roadside zoo.
Tiger King's story spans seven episodes, revealing not just the unsavory things that happen behind the scenes at Joe Exotic's Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, but the inherit ugliness of the exotic animal trade in America. In addition to Joe Exotic, Tiger King features other zookeepers like Doc Antle of Myrtle Beach Safari, and while the series isn't given the same access to these zoos as they are G.W. Zoo, the conclusion is the same - the well-being of their animals isn't their number one priority. Even Carole Baskin and her wildlife sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue, comes under scrutiny because while she does not breed tigers or hold events like cub-petting, the enclosures the at Big Cat Rescue leave something to be desired. Thankfully, for some of the animals once housed at the G.W. Zoo, they've been given a second chance at an animal sanctuary that's properly equipped to care for them.
As reported by Denver7 News, 39 of the tigers and three black bears from Joe Exotic's zoo are now residing at The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado. The animals were rescued from the G.W. Zoo in 2017 and many came with both physical and mental issues that the staff are still treating. The Wild Animal Sanctuary is a facility with 789 acres of land where the animals are enclosed in large pastures, not cages, and visitors can observe them from an elevated walkway that Chief Science and Animal Welfare Officer, Becca Miceli, explains is less stressful for the animals.
For as much attention as Tiger King's strange-but-true story is receiving, it's uplifting to learn that the some of the animals involved are receiving the help they deserve. Throughout the docuseries, it's often the wild antics of Joe Exotic himself or the unsettling disappearance of Carole's first husband, Don Lewis, that receive the most focus, while concerns over animal welfare take a backseat to the sensationalism. Still, Tiger King's shocking reveals about the lack of proper care provided for these animals has struck a chord with many viewers, and as such, it's good to hear that a least some of the tigers are now at a facility equipped to care for them.
Source: Denver7 News