Tiger King subject Carole Baskin is not a fan of how she is depicted in the hit Netflix documentary series, and she has released an official statement slamming the show. “When the directors of the Netflix documentary Tiger King came to us five years ago, they said they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish, the acclaimed documentary that exposed the horrible abuse taking place at SeaWorld and other similar parks around the world,” Baskin began.
“A lifelong animal lover, I was immediately drawn to the possibility of exposing the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for exploitation and the awful lives these majestic creatures are forced to endure in roadside zoos and back yards if they survive their time used for petting,” she continued. “There are no words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has instead chosen to be as salacious and sensational as possible to draw in viewers. As part of that, they devoted an entire segment to 23-year-old lies and innuendos suggesting I was involved in my husband Don’s 1997 disappearance. I will not use this platform to bring further attention to Netflix or their unethical practices, especially when so many of their so-called inside sources have been clearly shown to be heavily biased.”
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Baskin went on to say, “Instead, I invite the public to focus on the real issue at hand and the important work my team has been able to accomplish. For the last 23 years, we have devoted our hearts and souls to stopping the abuse of big cats used in cub petting schemes and roadside zoos.”
Concluding her statement, the Big Cat Rescue founder and CEO said, “Through our Tampa-based sanctuary, we’ve been able to rescue and rehabilitate over 200 big cats, educate hundreds of venues to not allow cub petting traveling exhibits on their premises, pass the Captive Wildlife Safety Act, and now have enormous support in Congress for the Big Cat Public Safety Act which would end abusive cub petting and outlaw having big cats as pets, and educate the public about the abuses associated with circuses and inbreeding of white tigers.”
Notably, the massive response to the series has reignited Hillsborough County Sheriff Chad Chronster’s approach to the cold case disappearance of Don Lewis. Chronster recently took to social media to ask for any and all “new leads” the public may be able to provide in the case.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is now streaming on Netflix.
