After Joe Exotic captured the world's attention with the documentary Tiger King, he was sentenced to prison time for the endangerment of animals. His zoo was left to Jeff Lowe and supposedly, in a better place. Well, recent developments suggest that Joe and Co. may not have been the best choice, as the Garvin County Sheriff's office has been flooded with welfare checks.
Teaming up with the USDA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife, Garvin's County Sheriffs Office is conducting an ongoing investigation on the injuries of animals in the park. However, the reports have come back that the animals still in captivity are "receiving veterinarian care in isolation and are being monitored by USDA."
PETA, the park's biggest antagonist for several years, released a statement of discontent with the current park standards.
"The USDA's inaction allowed 'Joe Exotic' to abuse and neglect animals for years, and so far, it's also failed to help the big cats held by Jeff Lowe," said the organization in a statement, "In the wake of Tiger King, the public eye is on the USDA to do its job and shut Lowe and his despicable roadside zoo down pronto."
Carole Baskin, Joe's biggest rival and a huge part of the Big Cat series, has reportedly won control of the zoo after Joe Exotic's sentencing. Though Jeff isn't exactly happy with the new ownership, he's not broken-hearted either. In an interview, Lowe said, "she can have these 16 acres of haunted memories."