Zookeeper accused of animal welfare violations
Zoo keeper Jeff Lowe is facing possible civil penalties for alleged willful animal welfare violations at the roadside park made famous by the hit Netflix documentary series, “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”
The allegations number in the dozens and date from 2017.
Among the most serious are claims animals repeatedly did not get proper veterinary care at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park and vet records were falsified to cover up the neglect.
In one incident, a federal inspector in June ordered the park to get immediate help for “Nala,” a 16- week- old lion cub described as lethargic, depressed and thin, unable to get out of the mud even when prompted and breathing rapidly and shallowly.
A top official at the U.S. Department of Agriculture last week filed a complaint outlining the allegations. In a Facebook post, Lowe called the allegations“a litany of falsehoods.”
The official, Kevin Shea, administrator of the Animal
and Service, is asking for the revocation of Lowe's exhibitor's license and“civil penalties as warranted under the circumstances.” He also is asking that Lowe's wife be permanently disqualified from getting a license herself.
“Respondents have not shown good faith ,” the official alleged.
An administrative law judge will consider the requests.
Lowe's license already has been suspended for 21 days.
Lowe announced last week he was closing the zoo in Wynnewood immediately, not opening a new zoo near Thackerville to the public after all for the foreseeable future and forfeiting his exhibitor's license.
“I will still allow my lawyers to prove the USDA is dead wrong ,” he wrote in one post last week.
“This is going to be so much fun ,” he wrote in another post.
Other allegations in the complaint involve the conditions at t he park, public safety issues and record-keeping.
Inspector sin June reported finding two geriatric wolves, a kangaroo and other animals in enclosures in disrepair and a problem with flies at a large pile of wood debris at the back of the park.
The flies — attracted by the carcasses of a hybrid cat and tiger at the wood pile — had pestered “many species” in the park, according to an inspection report. The fly “strikes” resulted in large patches of painful ulceration on the ears and legs of numerous tigers, lions and wolves.
Inspector sin July reported the park had no working large walk-in freezer to keep food for the animals cold. “Meat that is rotten is not palatable and does not contain adequate nutrition for the carnivores at the facility,” the inspectors noted.
Inspectors were told a refrigeration t ruck had undergone repairs that day and two days before. Asked for proof, they were given an invoice for repairs to a tractor instead, according to a report.
In addressing the safety of visitors, the complaint alleges“repeated failures to handle animals carefully.”
Lowe was advised as early as 2015 not to exhibitor handle a nimals “without sufficient distance and/ or barriers between the animals and the public ,” according to the complaint. “Nevertheless, as alleged herein, respondents have failed on multiple occasions to comply with the handling regulations.”
The park long allowed visitors top et or have “play times” with the cubs of tigers and other big cats — for an extra fee.
Animals rights activists condemned the practice as exploitation.
“We allow you to interact with exotic animals as it is our belief that you can l earn and feel the bond that we share with these amazing creatures everyday,” the park said.
Lowe in 2018 was given a suspended jail sentence and ordered to pay $2,500 in restitution for doing business without a license in Las Vegas, Nevada, according to the complaint.
The municipal case arose from his operation of “The Jungle Bus” that advertised baby lions, tigers, bears, lemurs, kangaroos and monkeys as available f or private parties, casino events and shows, photo shoots, movies and commercials, and extended private encounters, according to the complaint.
Lowe and his wife repeatedly harassed a Las Vegas animal control supervisor during the investigation of his operation there by publicizing her photograph and home address, issuing threats against her and making derogatory statements on social media, according to the complaint.