Carole Baskin has to be pleased about this: the Greater Wynnwood Exotic Animal Park — made famous by the Netflix Tiger King docuseries about the park’s former owner Joe Exotic — is closed to the public effective immediately after its federal animal exhibition license was suspended.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture suspended the license for the Oklahoma zoo as well as current owner Jeffrey Lowe after an inspection found multiple animal welfare violations, including some repeat violations, as CNN reported. In one instance, inspectors found that the only refrigerated storage at the zoo for animal food was a broken refrigerator truck. Zoo officials claimed it had been fixed, but as the USDA report notes, “The inspectors asked for the invoices for the repairs and were handed an invoice for a tractor repair.”
A post to the zoo’s Facebook page announcing its closure said it will be converted into a private film set. “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,” the post reads.
However, animal rights groups are determined to get the animals at the zoo transferred out of the care of Lowe. “PETA looks forward to seeing every one of the long-suffering animals at the G.W. Zoo be transferred to an appropriate facility,” a representative for PETA said in a statement.
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