Blame it on the zoo guy
STV, 9pm WHO knew Michael Jackson was the original Tiger King?
The pop megastar had his own theme park at his home, Neverland, where he also kept a massive collection of exotic wild animals, with more than 50 species, including giraffes, elephants and tigers.
It all seemed like a child’s dream, until the shocking allegations of sexual abuse since his death in 2009, revealed that not everything was as it seems.
He was obsessed with animals, saying: “I can relate to them a lot better than I can to humans”.
But very little is known about how they were treated, and their whereabouts since Jackson’s death are largely unknown.
Ross Kemp goes on a journey across America in this fascinating film to uncover the truth behind the animals who lived at Neverland. Ross says: “Michael Jackson’s zoo inspired a worldwide boom in the private ownership of exotic animals. This is a journey that will take me into the strange world of America’s private zoos and menageries, and the often-cruel trade that supplies them.
“I want to find out how Jackson’s pets were treated at the ranch, where they went after it closed and what Neverland’s animal legacy truly is.”
Ross speaks to the world’s top primatologist, Jane Goodall, and learns what exactly happened to the famous pet chimpanzee Bubbles. He also meets former workers at the famous Californian ranch, including Mark Biancaniello, a former Neverland Zoo trainer, who describes Jackson as an exemplary owner of animals, claiming he would never abandon his pets.
But after learning about the premature deaths of several animals during the singer’s time at Neverland, the presenter begins to suspect Jackson may not have been the perfect animal owner after all.