Tiger King Zoo Ordered To Surrender All Tiger Cubs To US Government
The latest fallout from the Netflix show sees the new owner of the Tiger King zoo forced to hand over all cubs and their mothers for violating animal welfare and wildlife laws.
Credit: Netflix
The infamous ‘Tiger King Zoo’, once owned by the now-incarcerated Joe Exotic, has been ordered to surrender all of its Big Cat cubs and their mothers, after being charged with violating animal welfare and wildlife laws.
The G. W. Park zoo was founded by Exotic back in 1999, but has been under the ownership of his business partner, Jeff Lowe, since 2016.
Now, the U.S. government has accused Jeff and Lauren Lowe of violating the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
The court found that the Lowes’ “failure to provide safe conditions, proper nutrition, and timely veterinary care resulted in harm to a number of animals, including the death of two tiger cubs less than a week apart”.
“The Lowes have showed a shocking disregard for both the health and welfare of their animals, as well as the law,” said Acting Assistant Attorney General Jonathan D. Brightbill of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division.
All of the Lowes’ Big Cat cubs under the age of one year and their mothers will now be surrendered to the government
“This decision sends a clear message to both licensed and unlicensed exhibitors of the Animal Welfare Act’s reach,” said USDA Acting General Counsel Tyler S. Clarkson.
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.
And you can find out more about the issue by listening to our podcast episode The United States Has A Tiger Problem, where we chat with journalist and author Sharon Guynup, who has spent years investigating and reporting on tigers.
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