NETFLIX STAR
PRIOR to Joe Exotic being jailed for hiring a hitman to kill rival Carole Baskin, her husband Howard says he spent two years carrying a gun in his car for their protection.
Carole and Howard, who run a big cat sanctuary near Tampa, Florida, received death threats and abuse in the wake of Tiger King, which aired last year on Netflix – a TV series which bore no resemblance to the conservation documentary they thought they were making.
So it is a surprise to hear the couple, who are spearheading a law to end private ownership of big cats in America’s back gardens, would support former zoo owner Joe’s early release from his 22-year sentence – on one condition.
Howard said: “If Joe were to come out and say, ‘I now know what I did was wrong and I want to help. I would like to support passage of the Big Cat Public Safety Act and stop this breeding.’
“If he were to do that, it might position him in a positive way for a pardon. And, frankly, I might be willing to go and urge at least a reduction in his sentence.”
The couple have been at loggerheads with big cat owners in the US for years.
They say the difference between them and the “disreputable” zoo owners featured in Tiger King is that their sanctuary, Big Cat Rescue, does not allow breeding, while others make vast sums by masquerading as conservation projects which produce scores of cubs.
Rival Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was jailed in 2019 for finally acting on his many threats to kill Carole by hiring a hitman, plus violating federal wildlife laws.
Carole, 59, believes Joe is motivated by money and notoriety but is missing an opportunity. She said: “He could take all of this fame and become a hero who could save the tiger from extinction.
“We’re going to lose the tiger in the wild in the next few years if we don’t stop private possession that is creating this flood of cats into the illegal trade, which is a smokescreen for poaching in the wild. That is something he could do something with and get all the glory and fame he ever wanted, and do a good thing.”
Howard says he felt safer once Joe was behind
It might position him for a pardon.. and I might even call for a reduction in his sentence HOWARD BASKIN BELIEVES JAILED JOE COULD HELP BIG CATS’ CAUSE
bars, explaining:. “He’s not the only person who is a threat but he was the one we knew was an active threat. I don’t carry a pistol in my car any more, unlike the entire time from when the FBI called in November 2017 and said, ‘We just want you to take precautions because Joe is actively trying to hire someone to kill Carole’. “Until he was arrested, we were taking all kind of precautions.” Activist Carole added: “I never really feel safe, because Joe is just one part of a huge industry. There are so many other people who have threatened