“Tiger King” Zoo Forced to Close

Jeffery Lowe, current owner of the Greater Wynnwood Exotic Animal Park, made famous by the show “Tiger King” announced in a Facebook post that the zoo will be permanently closing. He added that the animal rights organization PETA, who has stated on multiple occasions that they want the zoo to be shut down and the animals moved to “better facilities” is responsible for the closing stating that the zoo couldn’t take “the pressures of” it. The closing comes following an announcement from the US Department of Agriculture saying the exhibitor license for the park as well as Lowe was suspended on Monday.

Lowe’s former business partner and the zoo’s previous owner, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, who went by the name of Joe Exotic, were featured in “Tiger King” which was a Netflix series based on the lives of workers at the zoo and all the “dark secrets and lies” that take place behind the scenes. Maldonado-Passage, whose rivalry with co-star Carole Baskin was the main feature in the show, was sentenced to 22 years for trying to hire someone to kill Baskin along with several wildlife violations. In addition to this Carole Baskin is facing a lawsuit from the family of her former husband Don Lewis for the alleged involvement in his disappearance and presumed death.  

Lowe stated in his Facebook post that the “new park will, at least for the foreseeable future, be a private film set for Tiger King related television content for cable and streaming services.” In addition, he also accused the USDA, who announced they had found multiple animal welfare violations at the zoo of “folding to the pressure” of PETA, stating they have given the “facility five consecutive perfect inspections” and that these new accusations of animal welfare violations are “false.”