While Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness might not be dominating the conversation quite as much as it was when it dropped on Netflix in March, but there’s been plenty happening with the people involved in the true-crime docuseries. Not to mention the now-infamous Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, once presided over by Joe Exotic himself.
The series itself has already spawned a spinoff episode as well as a TMZ special episode, and there are numerous scripted projects already in the works. SNL’s Kate McKinnon is slated to star as Exotic’s nemesis, Carole Baskin, in one project, while Nicolas Cage is in talks with another series centering on Exotic. The original creative team behind Tiger King, Eric Goode Rebecca Chaiklin, are also in talks to make a follow-up episode on the tiger attack during a stage show by famed Vegas performers Siegfried and Roy. The new endeavor is aiming to turn the series into a franchise, with new episodes falling under the banner of ‘Tiger King Productions.’
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However, most of these projects are on hold, thanks to widespread production shutdowns due to the coronavirus pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean that things haven’t gone down in the Tiger King world in the meantime.
Joe Exotic Removed from Solitary Confinement
After being held in solitary confinementย while serving out his 22-year prison sentence, which was done out of concern for coronavirus, Exotic (who’s real name is Joseph Allen Maldonado) was moved into general population in June. Exotic’s Instagram announced a big change and thanked those that helped it happen. “Joe is OUT of isolation and getting the care he needs because of YOU,” the caption read. “More than 2,000 of Joe’s BIGGEST FANS hand-wrote letters asking for his release and it worked, proving that there is strength in numbers. THANK YOU!!!”ย
Joe Exotic’s ‘Ambition’
While Exotic has come under both praise and fire since his portrayal on Tiger King, former park employee Kelci “Saff” Saffery sang his praises to PopCulture earlier in July.ย “In my opinion, he’s a very loud, he’s a very proud, he’s a very colorful man,” Saffery said. “But he’s also very ambitious. Sometimes that was his demise. But I have seen this man do things that I didn’t do myself. I’ve seen him give the shirt off his back […] to someone because they needed it more. I have seen him spend the entire night before Thanksgiving cooking a homemade Thanksgiving meal to give out for free to the general public.”
Disappointed Visitors
Despite the newfound fame the park received following Tiger King, it sounds like the animals aren’t in great shape. Visitor Will Mayo stopped by on a recent road trip and shared photos of the animals he saw with Insider. While he doesn’t consider himself an animal activist, he wanted to provide a new look at the G.W. Zoo prominently featured the Netflix series.ย Mayo described the zoo as an “abandoned house’s overgrown backyard,” and “pretty desolate.
“Everything just looked shriveled and dry and not taken care of.” He noted seeing a fox who “just looked so sad and so drained and so tired,” and one animal was leaning against the fence “because it almost seemed like it didn’t even have the energy to walk around.”
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Under Investigation
Likely due to these conditions, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park is currently under investigation by state authorities over the animals’ welfare. Garvin County Sheriff Jim Mullett said that after the department had received “numerous calls” about the property, they formally requested the USDA, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Oklahoma Department of Wildlife to investigate
According to the statement, both the ODW and the USDA have already been to the park, and while no details are available, the USDA is “currently conducting an investigation,” and that injured animals are currently “receiving veterinarian care in isolation and are being monitored by USDA.”
Human Remains in the Alligator Pit
Earlier in July, allegations started to surface that there were human remains located in the park’s alligator pit. Local law enforcement did find some remains, though, they weren’t human. While the remains were assumed to be from a small animal, the investigation was concluded.ย
Jeff Lowe’s Own Theory
Despite the debunking, Jeff Lowe, who currently owns the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park believes that there’s more hidden in elsewhere park. Lowe believes that a storm threw cadaver dogs off and led to the “finding” and alerting investigators to something they found. Despite the lack of evidence, the owner remains adamant in his position.ย
