Jeff Lowe, who took over the zoo from Tiger King Joe Exotic, has decided to close the park. In a statement on Facebook , he writes that he no longer wants to display the animals to the public. Lowe was previously told by the Department of Agriculture that his Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park was to close for three weeks.
The Netflix series Tiger King shows Lowe co-owning and taking over Exotic’s zoo when Exotic disappears behind bars for 22 years for hiring someone to kill his rival Carole Baskin.
The zoo owned by Lowe was already under pressure from criticism from animal rights activists and inspectors. Lowe emphasizes that he himself decided not to open again after the mandatory closing of three weeks.
“I no longer want to show the animals to the public. We have been talking about that for weeks,” he writes. He says he continues to have his lawyers do their job to prove that the imposed closure is unlawful. Lowe says the animals will remain private property and the new park he plans to open will only be a movie set for Tiger King- related content.
In June, it was announced that Baskin, who previously had a legal dispute with Exotic over the use of its brand name, may take over the land on which the park is located. The judge decided this because Exotic could not pay the compensation that was imposed on him.