Tiger King’s Jeff and Lauren Lowe Surrender Their Remaining Animals
Bobcats, lemurs and a camel are among the latest animals rescued from the Lowe’s notorious Tiger King Park, which has faced mounting legal pressure after repeated investigations found animal mistreatment.
Credit: Netflix
Jeff and Lauren Lowe, who both appeared in the Netflix documentary Tiger King, have agreed to surrender their remaining animals to the United States Department of Justice, after various instances of animal mistreatment and legal violations.
The Lowes have faced increasing legal pressure after the Netflix docu-series propelled the issue of America’s captive exotic animal trade into the spotlight.
Earlier this year, the Lowe’s Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, was subject to a search and seizure warrant for ongoing violations of the Endangered Species Act (ESA).
The couple were found to be “failing to provide the animals with adequate or timely veterinary care, appropriate nutrition, and shelter that protects them from inclement weather”, according to the government officials.
These failings led to sixty-eight exotic animals being rescued from the park, including endangered lions, tigers, and lion-tiger hybrids, as well as one jaguar.
Now, the Lowes have agreed to surrender the park’s remaining sixty-one animals to the Department of Justice.
“There had already been an order to remove all of the animals who were on the endangered species list,” CEO and founder of Big Cat Rescue Carole Baskin told Oklahoma’s KXII. “All the cubs had been removed, but we were concerned about all these other animals that had been left behind - including some small cats like bobcats, links and caracals.”
Among the surrendered animals are lemurs, ferrets, bobcats, racoons, foxes, a porcupine, and a camel, reports local news.
“This is really big. There have been a number of huge rescues and seizures in the last few years, with anywhere between 50 to over 100 big cats at these tiger mills where people are breeding these big cats. One by one we’re seeing more of these places go under, or have the animals seized and more of these animals are going to live at sanctuaries, so it’s all a step in the right direction,” Baskin explained to KXII.
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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