Tiger King zoo closes suddenly after license suspended

Source: The Guardian

Tiger King zoo closes suddenly after license suspended

Owner Jeff Lowe said Oklahoma zoo would be closing with immediate effect, citing pressure from animal rights charity Peta

Miranda Bryant
Published on Wed 19 Aug 2020 15.54 BST

The Oklahoma zoo at the centre of hit Netflix series Tiger King has announced its immediate closure after having its license suspended.

The US Department of Agriculture is understood to have suspended Greater Wynnwood Exotic Animal Park’s exhibitor license on Monday. On Tuesday night, owner Jeff Lowe said the zoo would be closing with immediate effect, citing pressure from the animal rights charity Peta.

He wrote on Facebook: “The Tiger King phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways. It has brought us more attention than any human deserves, good and bad. It has, and probably will continue to make us a target of every nutjob and animal rights loon in the World, but we are prepared.”

He added: “As of today, we have decided to close the old zoo effective immediately.”

Lowe is the former business partner of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, the star of the Netflix documentary. Earlier this year Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison for his role in a 2017 murder-for-hire plot to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of a Florida animal sanctuary, and for multiple wildlife violations.

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Read more: https://www.theguardian.com/media/2020/aug/19/oklahoma-zoo-tiger-king-closes-suddenly-after-license-suspended