The recent Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness has become a streaming hit for our pandemic times.
The seven-episode series and meme-factory is a disturbing dive into the subculture of big cats in America and some of the bizarre people who own and profit from them (and who also make unintentionally hilarious music videos and questionable fashion and hairstyle choices).
Most wackadoo of all is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, an Oklahoma man who calls himself Joe Exotic and is the self-proclaimed Tiger King of the title.
Maldonado-Passage ran an exotic animal park in Wynnewood, Okla., where he bred big cats and where people could interact with big cat cubs for a fee.
Shady things happened there, according to the series, and the eccentric Maldonado-Passage feuded bitterly with animal-welfare groups. He was particularly obsessed with Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Fla.
In January, he was sentenced to 22 years in prison for a murder-for-hire plot to kill Baskin. He was also found guilty of other charges, including nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, after he killed five tigers to make room for more big cats at his park.
Tanya Smith is president of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, a nonprofit big cat rescue and sanctuary on 460 acres near Eureka Springs that was founded by her parents in 1992. It is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and is nothing like the parks run by Maldonado-Passage or others in Tiger King, she says.
"We are a refuge for abused, abandoned and unwanted big cats," Smith, 52, said last week. "We don't breed, buy or sell any of our animals. We are strictly a sanctuary for lifetime care once the animal gets here."
There is no hands-on interaction with the creatures, she says, "and our animals are in large areas where they can run and play."
Turpentine Creek is home to 89 animals, including tigers, lions, leopards, African servals, a Savannah cat, three cougars and 10 bears, Smith says. Lately, many have come from facilities that have shut down or from owners who could no longer care for them, she says.
The refuge is normally open to visitors for paid tours, but is closed because of covid-19 restrictions.
Smith has known for years about Maldonado-Passage and others featured in Tiger King. She hopes the series will shed light on unscrupulous big cat owners, though she is also wary.
"I'm glad this is coming to awareness" she says, "but I'm also afraid it will make people want pet tigers and want to get in cages with animals. It could cause a lot of trouble."
For information about Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, visit www.turpentinecreek.org.
email: sclancy@adgnewsroom.com
SundayMonday on 04/05/2020