Story at a glance
- The Department of Justice on Thursday announced the seizure of 68 protected big cats from the Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Okla.
- Park owners were previously cited for failing to provide the big cats with adequate care, nutrition and shelter.
- They were recently found in contempt after months of noncompliance with court orders.
Federal authorities have seized dozens of big cats from the Oklahoma animal park featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King” as part of an ongoing probe for Endangered Species Act violations.
The Department of Justice on Thursday announced the seizure of 68 protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe’s Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Okla.
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According to the agency, the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service had carried out three inspections of the park since December 2020.
The Lowes were cited by federal authorities for failing to provide the big cats with adequate care, nutrition and shelter. The two were recently found in contempt after months of noncompliance with court orders to provide care that meets the requirements of the Animal Welfare Act.
“This seizure should send a clear message that the Justice Department takes alleged harm to captive-bred animals protected under the Endangered Species Act very seriously,” Acting Assistant Attorney General Jean E. Williams of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division said in a statement.
Federal authorities said they ensure the animals “go to responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited.”
Jeffrey Lowe was profiled in Tiger King as a business partner and eventual adversary of the series’ main character Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage.
Maldonado-Passage is currently serving a 22-year federal prison sentence for his involvement in a murder-for-hire scheme against fellow “Tiger King” star and his declared nemesis, Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue.
He was also convicted of multiple wildlife violations.
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