“Tiger King” star Carole Baskin scored a major victory in court on Monday when a federal judge granted her control of the Oklahoma zoo that had been previously owned by Joe Exotic, her rival in the popular Netflix documentary series. Now, Baskin has broken her silence to say that she is “ready to assist” in relocating the animals living at the zoo.
In his ruling, the judge said that all zoo animals must be removed from the property within 90 days, and that the facility’s current owner Jeff Lowe must leave the property as well.
“Over a year ago Mr. Lowe announced plans to move the animals to a location in Thackerville, OK that he has been constructing and he claims will be a better facility,” Baskin told Fox News after the ruling. “He recently stated that he had funds to complete the zoo and a contractor who could complete it in a few months.”
“If the need arises to make other plans to place the animals in new homes, Big Cat Rescue and the animal welfare organizations that have previously successfully placed big cats from large facilities in new homes stand ready to assist,” she added.
A federal court judge in Oklahoma has ruled that Carole Baskin can take over the Tiger King’s zoo https://t.co/OgauFwHuST
— The New York Times (@nytimes) June 2, 2020
“Tiger King” became a national craze when it dropped on Netflix right at the beginning of the coronavirus quarantine, and it was quickly watched by millions of enthralled viewers. The series told the story of Baskin’s feud with Joe Exotic, who allegedly tried to hire a hitman to get her killed. He is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for his involvement in this murder-for-hire plot.
While Joe Exotic is undoubtedly furious about the judge’s ruling, Lowe did not seem to care, telling the gossip site TMZ that he and his wife Lauren had “long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that he dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, behind the world’s largest casino.”
This piece originally appeared in UpliftingToday.com and is used by permission.
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