Tiger King Park told to turn over tiger cubs
MUSKOGEE — "Tiger King" star Jeff Lowe and his wife have been ordered to immediately turn over all big cat cubs and t he cubs' mothers to the United States for temporary placement at reputable facilities.
The relocation involves 10 ti ger cubs and their mothers at the Tiger King Park in Thackerville.
It could become permanent if the U.S. Justice Department prevails in its legal effort to seize all the animals there protected by the Endangered Species Act. In an order Friday, U.S. District Judge John F. Heil III concluded the government is likely to succeed at trial.
"Defendants' habit, pattern, and practice of providing inadequate nutrition and timely veterinary care, and failure to employ an attending veterinarian, has resulted in injury—and even death — to a number of their animals, including ... N ala, G izzy, Dot, Mama, Lizzie, Promise, Petunia, and Young Yi," the judge wrote.
"Moreover, the recent deaths of two ... tiger cubs, Daniel and Bubbles, less than one week apart ... indicate to the Court that the health and safety of the animals remaining in Defendants' care continues to be at risk of irreparable harm absent injunctive relief."
Government attorneys allege Daniel was euthanized in December after developing metabolic bone disease because of poor nutrition.
The government also alleges Daniel could have been saved. Lowe told the judge in a written declaration Daniel was "mother-raised his entire life" and his health problems were likely hereditary.
The zoo keeper told the judge Bubbles died in December after choking on a chicken bone. A government expert called that "highly unlikely" if the tiger was healthy.
The judge also ordered the Low es to immediately cease" exhibiting" their animals without a valid license, even on the internet.
The zoo has not been opened yet to the public. However, the judge said th eu nd is put ede vidence shows the Lowes have made their animals available to the public by displaying them online through Cameo and OnlyFans platforms for compensation and by permitting filming of Tiger King Park f or a Netflix documentary series.
Many of the photos of Lauren Lowe on Only Fans are of her in lingerie or partially nude. The few of her with big cats remained available to her subscribers Sunday. "Those who subscribe to my page likely have little interest in seeing the big cats," she told the judge in a written declaration.
The producer of the hit true-crime Netflix documentary series, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness ," was in Thackerville in November to film a sequel.
Tiger King is one of the nicknames used by Joseph Maldonado-Passage, the big cat breeder who ran a private zoo in Wynnewood. He is better known by another nickname, Joe Exotic.
Jeff Lowe took over the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in 2016.
Maldonado-Passage is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison for trying to have his chief critic, Ca role Ba skin, killed and for other crimes. He claims he is innocent and that Jeff Lowe set him up.
The Low es moved their animals from Wynne wood to T hacker ville in September and early October.
The Lowes deny any mistreatment of animals.
“The Lowes have never been anything but caring and attentive to their animals, and the Lowes are not afraid to fight the U.S. Government in court ,” their attorney, Daniel Card, said in November.