Netflix celebrity and infamous Oklahoma zoo owner has presented a new business model, in which he plans to operate the park virtually in the future.
Jeff Lowe was a key cast member of the ultra-successful Netflix series Tiger King, which saw Lowe take over the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park from the notorious Joe Exotic in 2019.
In August, Jeff’s journey in running the world’s most famous big cat park ended as an inspection by USA’s Department for Agriculture (USDA) stripped Lowe of his zoo licence, after growing concerns of the welfare of his exotic inhabitants.
Bonnie Boone Inspector at USDA stated she found two burnt tigers and an ample of malnourished animals in her report – including starving young lion Nala, who featured heavily on the popular Netflix docu-series.
Following the park’s permanent closure this week (October 5), Lowe has now moved the park’s 700 animals to a new site in Oklahoma in which he will open the new Tiger King Park. Instead of the traditional zoo experience in which guests will visit the facility in-person, Lowe is proposing to use the new site as private set for new animal themed content.
Lowe plans to hire a production company to shoot two spin-off Tiger King reality shows, as well as producing an abundance of social media content featuring the wild cats and animal livestreams.
Another breach in law
The big cat owner’s ambitious developments may land him in hot water again. Under the USA’s Animal Welfare Act, utilising TV or digital content of wild animals for income with no licence is illegal according to National Geographic.
World-recognised advocate of animal welfare and Director of Animal Law has voiced her concerns over the government turning a blind eye on Lowe’s proposals. Speaking to Natural Geographic Declianna J Winders said: “If the USDA allows commercialisation to go unchecked online, it could incentivise the creation of a whole new industry of people monetising animals without any oversight.
“Given that conditions are often so bad at facilities when there already is a layer of oversight, I’m very worried about what that could mean for animals.”
In other animal news, guests are welcome to stay and dine with giraffes at a new UK visitor experience.
