Joe Exotic’s Zoo Handed Over to Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue After Court Order
In a court ruling made Monday, June 1, Carole Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue Corp. was granted control of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park — otherwise known as Joe Exotic’s Oklahoma-based zoo.
For anyone who tuned into Netflix’s jaw-dropping docuseries Tiger King, this news is just one more crazy twist in the saga of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin’s rivalry.
According to the Associated Press, the ruling was made by U.S. District Judge Scott Palk after he found that Exotic had fraudulently passed on ownership of the G.W. Zoo to his mother in an attempt to evade paying a previously made judgement against him.
The judgement Exotic was told to pay out included $1 million to Baskin after she won a trademark and copyright infringements suit against him. Based out of Florida, Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue is considered a sanctuary for big cats who have been subjected to harsh lives in captivity.
As viewers of Tiger King will recall, Joe Exotic is currently serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison for killing tigers and plotting to have Baskin murdered. The zoo in question is currently under the control of Jeff Lowe and his wife, who are fellow subjects in the docuseries.
(Credit: Netflix)
Animals currently being held in captivity at the G.W. Zoo are set to be removed from the property within 120 days by Big Cat Rescue. No details about where the cats will be placed have been given at this time.
In the meantime, Joe Exotic remains in Fort Worth, Texas, where he’s serving out his sentence, but he continues his pleas for his freedom. In a tweet sharing a handwritten letter from Exotic, he thanks “fans” for support.
Exotic’s former coworkers and employees condemned his actions during Netflix’s Tiger King reunion.
