The Tiger King’s kingdom has just been raided by the Feds.
On Thursday, the Department of Justice announced that they seized 68 lions, tigers and other big cats from the Oklahoma zoo made famous by the Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.
Joseph Maldonado-Passage (aka Joe Exotic), the bombastic star of the documentary, is currently serving a 22-year federal prison sentence after being found guilty in an attempted murder plot. Tiger King Park was taken over by Jeffrey and Lauren Lowe. According to federal officials, the Lowes violated the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act by exhibiting animals without a license.
Federal inspectors also allege that the Lowes failed to adequately care for their animals; they didn’t provide a nutritious diet, proper veterinary care, or shelter from the weather.
More from NPR:
The affidavit says the impact of the poor diet could be seen in the animals, several of which appeared to be suffering from stunted growth, lameness, neurological abnormalities and skin lesions.
Inspectors observed rotting animal carcasses in some of the big cats’ cages and a pile of rotting carcasses elsewhere on the park’s grounds. The failure to properly dispose of the bones has attracted flies and other pests that routinely bite and attack the lions, tigers and other animals, according to court documents.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicholas McQuaid said in a statement that the animals would go to “responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited.”
