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The Zoo From Netflix's Tiger King Has Been Permanently Closed Down

The Zoo From Netflix's Tiger King Has Been Permanently Closed Down

The animals will continue to receive 'excellent care' but the public will no longer be allowed to see them

Tom Wood

Tom Wood

The zoo that featured in the hit Netflix show Tiger King has now officially closed to the public for good.

The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, which was previously owned by the incarcerated Joe Exotic but is now owned by his one-time business partner Jeff Lowe, has been closed permanently to the public - 'effective immediately'.

Lowe said in a Facebook post that while the animals - predominantly big cats - will continue to receive 'excellent care', they've had to close the park for a variety of reasons.

He explained: "The Tiger King phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways,

"It has, and probably will continue to make us a target of every nutjob and animal rights loon in the world, but we are prepared.

"As of today, we have decided to close the old zoo effective immediately."

Jeff Lowe.
Netflix

Lowe went on to say that he has now also voluntarily forfeited his United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) license to exhibit animals as a result of the park closing down.

He argued that the park had undergone 'five consecutive perfect investigations' but the USDA had eventually 'folded to the pressures of PETA and continue to make false accusations against me'.

Lowe continued: "Suspiciously, less than 24 hours after I contacted the USDA to voluntarily forfeit my license, they notify me that they are suspending my license for 21 days for a litany of falsehoods,

"In the state of Oklahoma, exotic animal ownership is perfectly legal. Rest assured that all the animals will continue to have excellent care, and consequently will no longer be subject to USDA inspections or PETA spies."

In that same Facebook post, Lowe also alluded to a forthcoming Tiger King spin-off show that will focus in on him and his wife Lauren Dropla as they try to run the park after the departure of Exotic.

The show was first mentioned back in June, but Lowe confirmed: "Our new park will, at least for the foreseeable future, be a private film set for Tiger King related television content for cable and streaming services."

Jeff Lowe and Lauren Dropla.
Instagram

This latest news follows an Oklahoma judge's decision to award ownership of the zoo to Exotic's arch-nemesis - the man has a lot of enemies - Carole Baskin.

Lowe and Dropla have been given 120 days to vacate the property. Lowe explained: "I expected it a year ago. We knew that the writing was on the wall."

Exotic himself has said that the decision is 'a treachery that has to be challenged'.

Featured Image Credit: Facebook/Greater Wynnewood Animal Park

Topics: TV and Film, US News, US Entertainment, Animals