Nearly 70 Big Cats Seized From Tiger King’s Jeff and Lauren Lowe
USDA found animal mistreatment on repeated investigations of the Oklahoma animal park owned by the Lowe’s, who featured in the hit Netflix documentary.
Over sixty big cats have been seized from an Oklahoma zoo owned by couple Jeff and Lauren Lowe, who both appeared in the Netflix documentary Tiger King.
The Lowe’s Tiger King Park in Thackerville, was subject to a search and seizure warrant for ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the Department of Justice announced.
The government’s intervention comes after three separate inspections of the park by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) found various instances of animal mistreatment and legal violations.
According to the affidavit,
“the Lowes received citations for failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition, and shelter that protects them from inclement weather and is of sufficient size to allow them to engage in normal behavior”.
Now, sixty-eight animals have been seized during the rescue, including endangered lions, tigers, and lion-tiger hybrids, as well as one jaguar.
“This seizure should send a clear message that the Justice Department takes alleged harm to captive-bred animals protected under the Endangered Species Act very seriously,” said a representative of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
The U.S. Has A Tiger Problem
Whilst there are now twenty-one states that prohibit the keeping of dangerous exotic pets such as big cats, there is currently no U.S. federal law concerning big cat ownership.
However, campaigners are currently trying to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a legislation which seeks to protect these captive animals by outlawing direct contact between the public and big cats.
With around 5,000 captive tigers in the U.S., this act has the potential to help protect big cats by outlawing backyard captive big cat collectors and inhumane cub handling exhibits. Campaigners are urging the public to ask their Member of Congress to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act - you can find out how you can do so here.
Find out what happened after the credits rolled on Netflix’s Tiger King series, with our podcast episode “Where Are They Now? The Fallen Stars Of Tiger King”, where we chat with journalist and author Sharon Guynup, who has spent years investigating and reporting on the U.S.’s tiger problem.
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