Many animal abuse stories about Tiger King's Joe Exotic that were not originally revealed in the Netflix series have recently surfaced. Tiger King is Netflix's hottest new true crime documentary series about the players involved in the world of exotic cat ownership and breeding. The series was an instant hit and introduced viewers to some of the wackiest characters on television. At the center of it all, was of course, Joe Exotic himself, the self-proclaimed, “gay, gun-toting cowboy with a mullet."
The show was such a success that Netflix decided to drop a brand new, special after-show episode called "The Tiger King and I." The special was hosted by Joel McHale (Community, The Soup). During the special, McHale interviewed several people introduced during the docuseries, which included former campaign manager Joshua Dial, producer Rick Kirkham, former zoo manager John Reinke, ex-husband John Finlay, zoo manager Saff Saffery, zookeeper Erik Cowie, and Jeff and Lauren Lowe. Most of them had some negative words to share about Exotic. One of the most alarming things shared was Kirkham's story about Exotic shooting a horse in the head point-blank, because Exotic didn't want to take care of anyone else's animals.
Rick Kirkham has been doing a series of interviews in which he spoke out about things that did not make it into the Netflix show. He's talked with both The Daily Beast and E! News. Some of the worst behaviors were left out, according to Exotic's former producer. In particular, he shares stories about Exotic's cruelty toward animals. In one interview, Kirkham says, “I witnessed him shoot and kill two tigers for no reason whatsoever, just because he was pissed off at them."
In another instance of cruelty, Exotic apparently kicked a chicken into a tiger cage just to watch it get mauled, and this was all because Exotic just happened to be in a bad mood that day. “That was just the kind of guy he was -- He enjoyed seeing people and animals hurt. He enjoyed it. He got off on it.” In regard to the aforementioned horse that Exotic had killed, Exotic then sliced it up with a chainsaw and fed it to the tigers. Kirkham referred to Joe Exotic as "pure evil" and stated his disbelief in anyone who could watch the show and have sympathy for the man.
By the end of the 8-episode run of Tiger King, it was quite clear based on the filmed interactions and talking head segments that Joe Exotic was cruel to many of those around him. There were already glimpses of Exotic's cruelty toward the animals. In fact, it has already been argued that the very existence of his animal reserve and other similar reserves are cruel to animals that should be free to live in the wild. The recently surfaced allegations, however, seem to dispel any doubts about Exotic's character. The special episode of Tiger King is available to stream on Netflix.
Source: The Daily Beast, E! News