42 of the Tiger King's Zoo Animals Now Live at Colorado Sanctuary

If there's one thing everybody is talking about right now, besides COVID-19, it's Netflix's true crime documentary series, Tiger King.

It's a wild ride from start to finish, and while Joe Exotic, aka the Tiger King, is receiving viral attention for the antics that went on at his roadside zoo in Oklahoma, animal advocates argue it's not for the right reasons.

Many are left wondering what happened to the big cats and other animals at the G.W. Zoo now that Joe Exotic is in jail on murder-for-hire charges. Fortunately, there are groups out there who actually care about the well-being of animals and act on their behalf in situations like this.

When drama hit its peak at the notorious G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma, The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado stepped in to help. According to the staff at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, in conjunction with PETA, they have ultimately been able to rescue 39 tigers and 3 bears from the facility.

Nineteen of these tigers were brought to the Colorado sanctuary in November 2017. At that time, these specific tigers were at the center of a federal lawsuit, which claimed cubs were being taken away from their mothers at just a few days old, and forced to interact with the public.

Besides facing abuse and exploitation, part of the lawsuit cited the inadequate cages these tigers were housed in, which violated the federal Endangered Species Act. They had also been illegally sent to the G.W. Zoo from Florida. According to an article in The Oklahoman, PETA carried out an inspection of the tigers on November 11, while guarded by armed U.S. marshals at the G.W. Zoo. A deal was reached that night, and a day later, the big cats were transferred to Colorado.

Instead of living out their lives in small cages with inadequate care, these tigers and bears now get to roam freely on hundreds of acres of land and receive the proper care that they require to survive.

TSM