The US Department of Justice has filed a complaint against Jeffrey Lowe, star of "Tiger King," for violating the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
Umpteenth twist in the incredible "Tiger King" affair. You know, this Netflix docu-series mixing polygamy, attempted murder, scams, missing ex-husband, manipulative guru and exotic animals … The US Department of Justice filed a civil complaint against Jeffrey Lowe and Tiger King LLC on Tuesday November 17, 202, concerning violations of the law on endangered species and the law on animal welfare, can be read on the website of the Department of Justice. The complaints accuse Lowe and his wife of "take, possess and transport protected animals illegally", all "without a license and putting the health of the animals in serious danger". Jeffrey Lowe is the former associate of Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage known as "Joe Exotic" and he is the owner of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and Tiger King LLC. Recall that in April 2018, Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in federal prison. He was convicted of attempted premeditated murder and 17 counts of animal abuse.
Ill treatment of big cats
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), after visiting facilities in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, in June and July 2020, said they have "found many animals in poor health and living in substandard conditionsIn the USDA report, inspectors described a lion cub named Nala as "lethargic, depressed, skinny and wouldn't get up from the mud after being tempted". In September, Nala was transferred to a nature preserve in Colorado, thanks to animal rights group PETA.
Following the suspension of his exhibitor license under the Animal Welfare Act, Lowe called the USDA's actions a "litany of lies" in a post on Facebook on August 18. Jeffrey Lowe is said to have voluntarily terminated his license in an attempt to move into a new building called "Tiger King Park" in Thackerville, Oklahoma, in order to circumvent the USDA decision, according to Insider. In October, Carole Baskin and Big Cat Rescue officially took over ownership of Wynnewood after a successful intellectual property lawsuit. Joe Exotic's former teammate then moved all of the animals to his new facility in Thackerville, in order to continue showing the animals to the public through online activities.
Jeff Lowe and his wife claimed on the Wynnewood Zoo Facebook page that season 2 of Tiger king is currently being filmed and will be released in spring 2021. Netflix did not respond to Insider's requests for comment.