Where are the Tiger King stars now?
A tiger cub screaming for his mother
Where are the Tiger King stars now?
Tiger King, Murder, Mayhem and Madness aired on Netflix on March 20, 2020 and by April Variety reported that more than 64 million households had watched it. The bizarre twist to this story of big cat exploiters being called out by me, Carole Baskin, for what I consider egregious animal abuse is that it seemed the producers failed to expose the depths of the neglect and abuse and instead decided to vilify the one person that all exotic animal abusers hate and call out by name: Carol Baskins. (yeah, they can't get the name right either). So where are all of these exotic cat owners just a few short months later?
Where is Joe "Exotic" Schreibvogel Maldonado Passage now?
Joe Exotic is still serving out his 21 year prison sentence after having the 22 year sentenced reduced to 21 on 1/28/2022. He was convicted of 17 violations involving wildlife trafficking and shooting five healthy tigers in the head to make boarding space available for a circus. He was also convicted on murder for hire charges in a plot to have me killed. What most people don't know is that he'd been rallying his minions to kill me for nearly 15 years by saying I was coming to take their pets from them, including their dogs, cats and goldfish. Failing to motivate anyone to do it for free, in 2014 people started calling me to say he'd offered to pay them do to it. The last person he tried to hire was an undercover FBI agent. On 12/10/2020 the U.S. Department of Justice alerted Joe's victims that an extra month has been added to his mandatory sentence, so it would appear he can't follow the rules in jail any better than he could the rules of society. He was also cited for possession of a contraband cell phone. As of 12/14/2024 all of his appeals have been denied.
Where are Jeff Lowe and Lauren Lowe now?
8/20/2021 Jeff and Lauren Lowe hand over the rest of their animals to the Department of Justice. Erik Cowie had gone from working with Joe Schreibvogel to working for Jeff Lowe. Cowie told DailyMailTV that he witnessed Exotic kill over 100 tigers and claimed many of the big cats actually despised the larger-than-life star. "Joe only cared about them in a monetary way."
9/3/2021 Erik Cowie was found dead, face down in a bed, in a NYC apartment. The only people I can think of that Erik might know in NYC would be Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin and their Tiger King 2 production company.The Lowes have lost their license to exhibit wild animals which includes showing them in person, via television or the Internet.
On 11/19/2020 the Department of Justice filed suit against Jeff and Lauren Lowe for pages and pages of alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act and USDA's Animal Welfare Act. We know they offloaded 49 big cats to MaryLynn Haven of Tiger Haven in TN (who now has 253 exotic cats as of Nov. 2020) before moving the rest of the animals from the GW Zoo they had to turn over to me on Oct. 3, 2020. We were told that at least one liger died from an overdose administered by Lowe during the move according to the Sheriff who was on hand to insure our crew's safety. We have heard they also sent cats to Gregg Woody. Read the DOJ's complaint here: https://911animalabuse.com/wp-content/uploads/2020-11-19-US-vs-Lowe-complaint.pdf
On 12/30/2020 the Department of Justice filed a motion for a Temporary Restraining Order requiring that Jeff Lowe and Lauren Lowe comply with the Animal Welfare Act and give up all of the cubs under one year of age, and their mothers to legitimate sanctuaries to protect their health. The first document is the Motion and the second below is the reasoning behind the motion quoting such egregious neglect and abuse as to cause the deaths of big cats at the Tiger King Park. The brief also suggests that 50 wild cats are unaccounted for in between the time of the Lowe's July 2020 inspection at the GW Zoo in Wynnewood, OK and the December 2020 inspection in Thackerville, OK.
2020-12-30-US v. Lowe_TRO motion2020-12-30-US v. Lowe_updated TRO brief
12/17/2020 Lauren Lowe must pay interest on $6,852 of attorney fees and expenses PETA incurred while it enforced subpoenas requiring her to produce documents and sit for a deposition, as ordered by U.S. District Judge Patrick R. Wyrick of the U.S. District Court in Western Oklahoma. A DOJ inspection was imminent at that time as well due to concern for the health and safety of the animals.The best thing about this lawsuit and the others faced by cub breeders is that it will finally create a legal interpretation that big cat cubs should not be separated from their mothers and should not be handed around as ego props based on it being a "take" under the Endangered Species Act and that doing so is a violation of the Animal Welfare Act. USDA has failed to enforce their laws for years, so the courts are taking charge and doing it. Whether the Big Cat Public Safety Act or the final order in this case comes first doesn't matter much as both will definitively end the mass production of cubs for this one month window of abuse. That is well over 90% of the captive breeding of big cats who serve no conservation value due to being inbred and crossbred. Captive breeding provides a legal smokescreen for illegal poaching and sales of wild tigers and other big cats for their parts. Whichever comes first will end the era of abuse, once and for all. The only question is; Will it be in time to save the tiger in the wild?1/21/2022 According to Roadside Zoo News Jeff and Lauren Lowe announce they’re making plans to open a roadside zoo in Mexico: https://www.tmz.com/.../tiger-king-jeff-lowe-moving-zoo.../
Where is Kevin Bhagavan "doc" Antle now?
Bhagavan Antle, who is known as Doc and is the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, was charged with two felony counts related to wildlife trafficking and 13 additional misdemeanors, according to the Office of the Attorney General of Virginia. Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, daughters of Mr. Antle, are also facing several misdemeanor charges in connection with animal cruelty and alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act. Of all of the big cat exploiters we think he's the smartest one, but is he smart enough to figure out that continuing to charge people to pet cubs is likely to result in fines, revocation of his license to exhibit and maybe even jail time?
Meanwhile, his season should be over for the winter at Barefoot Landing in Myrtle Beach so hopefully the cub petting storefront is shuttered for the winter. Thanks to a petition by PETA the USDA is requesting that exhibitors do the following:
#1. Consult with their attending veterinarians in order to protect the health and welfare of big cats. (No decent vet would approve of cub handling displays)
#2. Wear extra protective equipment and practice physical distancing when possible and the biggie
#3. Encourage members of the public to keep at least 6 feet away from big cats (and optimally wear a mask when in the vicinity of captive big cats). This effectively ending all cub-petting displays.
11/28/2021 According to Roadside Zoo News Tawny Antle, daughter of Doc Antle of Myrtle Beach Safari, was arrested for unlawfully carrying a pistol. Tawny, Doc and Doc’s other daughter, Tilakum Watterson, are all facing charges for cruelty to animals, wildlife trafficking and violating the Endangered Species Act: https://wpde.com/.../doc-antles-daughter-arrested-in...
6/21/2023 Antle was prosecuted and convicted of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic this past June. The Judge upheld the jury's guilty verdict, and sentenced Antle to two years with time suspended for each charge, to run concurrently.
11/6/2023 Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, 63, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and a conspiracy to launder money. For each count, Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Joseph Dawson III for the District of South Carolina accepted Antle’s guilty plea. He will sentence Antle after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office. The FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the case.
Where is Tim Stark now?
Tim Stark and Wildlife in Need has had his USDA license revoked and all of his animals seized. On 2/3/2020 the judge ruled that “Respondents willfully violated the AWA (Animal Welfare Act) on multiple occasions. As set out below, I also find that that Respondents’ business is large, the gravity of such violations was great, there is a history of previous violations, and Respondents did not act in good faith. Therefore, Respondents are ordered to cease and desist from violating the AWA and the regulations and standards issued thereunder; AWA license number 32-C-0204 is hereby revoked; Respondents are jointly and severally assessed a civil penalty of $300,000 for their violations herein; and Respondent Stark is assessed a civil penalty of $40,000 for his violations herein. His animals have been seized and dispersed to other facilities. See the order USDA vs Tim Stark Revoke License
1/3/2022 According to Roadside Zoo News: Tim Stark of the now-defunct Wildlife in Need files for bankruptcy with his biggest creditors being PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals), the Indianapolis Zoo, and the state of Indiana: https://www.wlky.com/.../tim-stark-founder-of.../38667863
Where is Carole Baskin now?
That's me! I performed in three episodes of Dancing with The Stars during the month of September in 2020 and was in thousands of articles, TV interviews, radio interviews, podcasts and other media outlets discussing the reasons that big cats should not be held hostage in cages and why we need to save them in the wild before it's too late. I launched the world's first virtual reality game to protect big cats for free in the Oculus store for Rift S and for a small fee on all other headsets via Steam. This same game is broadly distributed by SpringboardVR to arcades everywhere and is called Carole Baskin's Big Cat Rescue VR. I'm one of Cameo's most prolific earners, having created more than 4,120 greetings with 680+ fabulous reviews.
I've done licensing deals with mask manufacturers and have my own Bobblehead and YouTooz dolls.
I'm in negotiations for a TV show series on the work we do to end big cat abuse and to write my memoirs. I'm posting my diary entries daily at SaveTheCats.org
12/26/2020 Watch the premiere of Hidden Tiger starring Howard and Carole Baskin and a LOT of scientist, biologist, conservationists and people who are working to save the tiger in this beautifully presented film. Part of the proceeds benefit Big Cat Rescue when you choose to either rent or buy the film here: https://vimeo.com/ondemand/hiddentigerbcr
12/31/2020 I was on New Year's Eve on CNN with Anderson Cooper and on Fox.
4/5/2021 Appeared in Shooting Joe Exotic Louis Theroux travels to America to investigate the story of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin. https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p09bsryx
6/25/2021 Attended the red carpet premiere of The CONservation Game in which Howie and I played a part.
8/24/2021 Launched first NFT series on Proton Market and Foundation.
8/28/2021 Attended the Santa Monica premiere of The CONservation Game in which Howie and I played a part.
11/15/2021 Carole Baskin's Cage Fight, a two hour special, began streaming on discovery+https://youtu.be/S6jN--Kmcqw
1/21/2022 Kate McKinnon's trailer for Joe vs Carole launched March 3, 2022
12/20/2022 After campaigning for the Big Cat Public Safety Act (or versions of it) since 1998, it became federal law! The bill banned the private ownership of big cats. in the U.S. and banned public contact with big cats and their cubs.
3/5/2023 Began building much larger enclosures for our cats at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Arkansas.
12/28/2023 Moved the last of Big Cat Rescue’s 34 exotic cats to their new home where we will continue to fund their lifelong care.
Turned my attention fully to saving wild cats in the wild, where they belong.
Where is Howard Baskin now?
Howard is writing his book and recently arranged the peaceful transition of the GW Zoo from Jeff and Lauren Lowe to us. The Lowes left behind two bears, three tigers and 11 wolves who were all successfully relocated to a GFAS accredited sanctuary.
Howard continued to lead weekly calls with our coalition partners who are working to end the cub handling and phase out private possession of big cats. On Dec. 3, 2020 our federal bill, the Big Cat Public Safety Act passed 272 to 114 in the House and it passed the Senate unanimously.
Howard has his own Bobblehead and YouTooz dolls as well.
3/5/2023 Began building much larger enclosures for our cats at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Sanctuary in Arkansas. Howard led negotiations with more than 20 bidders for the sanctuary grounds in Tampa.
12/28/2023 Moved the last of Big Cat Rescue’s 34 exotic cats to their new home where we will continue to fund their lifelong care.
Turned his attention fully to saving wild cats in the wild, where they belong.
How is Big Cat Rescue now?
Big Cat Rescue has liquidated the 67 acre facility and is using the income to fund conservation projects in the wild. We are also funding the care for our cats, as mentioned above, until the end of their lives.
Where are the rest of the exotic animal dealers and owners from Tiger King now?
Where is James Garretson now?
We have heard he's now lost the jet ski rental business and that he no longer has any exotic cats. In December 2024 he was arrested, again, for driving on a suspended license.
Where is Mario Tabraue now?
We know Mario Tabraue has recently been offloading wildcats to MaryLynn Haven of Tiger Haven in TN who is not licensed by USDA and is not accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries. As someone smart enough to apparently turn state's evidence to reduce his 100 year sentence to 12 years, Mario Tabraue can probably see the handwriting on the wall. When the DOJ prevails in their case against Jeff Lowe it should make it clear that taking cubs from their mothers and using them in pay to play schemes is a violation of the endangered species act and / or the animal welfare act and the penalties are severe.
7/15/2021 According to Roadside Zoo News Mario Trabraue’s Zoological Wildlife Foundation, featured in the first Tiger King, is hit with several USDA violations: https://www.peta.org/.../zoological-wildlife-foundation.../
8/6/2024 Damning state records obtained by PETA reveal that staff members and customers—including children—have been injured during dangerous public encounters with animals at Florida’s Zoological Wildlife Foundation (ZWF Miami), a notorious roadside zoo featured in Tiger King and owned by convicted felon and former drug kingpin Mario Tabraue.
12/10/2024 Crazy victory! In the wake of HBO Max’s Chimp Crazy and an escalating pressure campaign by PETA following the release of the explosive docuseries, infamous Tiger King villain and drug kingpin and owner of Zoological Wildlife Foundation in Miami, Mario Tabraue, has surrendered Limbani the chimpanzee—who was kept in solitary confinement for eight years, since he was four days old—to the spacious Fort Pierce, Florida sanctuary Save the Chimps.
Where is Marc McCarthy now?
Marc McCarthy is best known to those fighting to protect big cats as someone who rents out cats for rap music videos but after Cardi B was criticized by me for even using photoshopped big cats in her videos, and got so much public backlash as a result, I have to believe that business will decline as newer generations speak out against such exploitation of these majestic wild animals. Remember Tiger King producer Eric Goode stating that it was seeing a majestic snow leopard in the back of a van on a hot day in Florida was his reason for creating this expose? Go back and watch and you will see that the person who opened the side door to his van to reveal the snow leopard was Marc McCarthy, (the logo is briefly visible) but that connection is never clearly made known in the show. Instead he was used as a voice of disparagement against me saying things about my personal life that he had no way to know.
Jeff Johnson
According to Roadside Zoo News Reptile dealer Jeff Johnson who briefly appeared in the first season died by suicide:
https://nypost.com/.../tiger-king-star-jeff-johnson-dead.../
