Tigers from ‘Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness’ find solace at Wild Animal Sanctuary in Weld County
Two tigers play together at the Wild Animal Sanctuary April 4, 2020. In 2017, the Wild Animal Sanctuary rescued 39 tigers and three bears from Joe Exotic’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. Photo by Joshua Polson.
By Kelly Ragan
As three fully grown tigers charge through a large, muddy pond, splashing and chasing each other across several acres at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, it’s hard to believe they spent most of their lives in small cages. But they did.
In 2017, the Wild Animal Sanctuary rescued 39 tigers and three black bears from Joe Exotic’s place. Yes, the Joe Exotic from “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” which first aired on Netflix March 20. If you haven’t seen it yet, that explains why you don’t understand all the tiger memes you’re seeing on social media. According to a report by Business Insider, at least 34.3 million unique viewers in the US watched the series.
The series showcases Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, the former owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, who is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence.
“The series gets pretty caught up in the human drama and all the personalities involved,” said Kent Drotar, spokesperson for the sanctuary. “It can be too easy to get caught up in the human intrigue and forget about the voiceless animals that are getting exploited in the background.”
When the tigers came in, they were underfed. Many had skin issues and bone problems due to a lifetime of poor nutrition. Some tigers had nail beds growing out of the tops of their paws after botched de-clawing attempts.
A tiger comes over see what all the fuss is about as Kent Drotar, spokesperson for the Wild Animal Sanctuary, looks on. The Wild Animal Sanctuary rescued 39 tigers and three bears from Joe Exotic’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in 2017. Many of the animals came in with skin issues and other health problems. Photo by Joshua Polson.
Some tigers, Drotar said, will have life-long bone issues because they were hand fed by humans as cubs and didn’t get the milk and the nutrients they needed from their mother.
Becca Miceli, chief science and animal welfare officer at the sanctuary, said the tigers didn’t even know what they were when they arrived. They’d gone most of their lives without the chance to roam or play.
“They have the companionship they need,” she said. “They enjoy each other.”
The tigers now have space to roll around, headbutt and chase each other.
The bigger issue
Drotar said he hopes people learned from the series that they should never pay to play with cubs or to get their picture taken with them.
Everyone loves cubs, he said, but people don’t think about what it took for the animal to be there.
“It gets taken away from its mother and hand-raised by humans,” Drotar said. “Once it’s 4-6 months old, will it get euthanized? Die from neglect? End up in a junky, roadside zoo?”
Colorado has a history with tiger cubs. American Furniture Warehouse trucks still show photos of cute tiger cubs. For years, advertisements incorporated the animals. American Furniture Warehouse even hosted events where kids could get their photos taken with tiger cubs (full disclosure: I went to one of those events as a kid).
But in the early 2000s, American Furniture Warehouse backed off.
In a 2010 interview with The Gazette, the owner, Jake Jabs, said there’d been a crackdown on using exotic animals after Roy Horn suffered life-changing injuries from a tiger in Las Vegas in 2003 during a show.
Jabs, who will serve as the grand marshal for the 2020 National Western Stock Show (assuming we’re allowed to go out and do things by then) told 9 News in a recent interview how it all started.
He and his wife bought a puppy for their children for Christmas and ended up putting the puppy on TV. Then folks brought other animals to show on film.
“At that time, there was an office up in Evergreen that had a bunch of exotic animals and brought pictures of the exotic animals down to us,” Jabs told 9 News.
The idea took off from there.
Greeley’s seen its own dustups involving exotic animals.
Pearl takes a stroll around the perimeter of her enclosure at the Wild Animal Sanctuary April 4, 2020. She was one of 39 tigers and three bears rescued from Joe Exotic’s Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in 2017. Now she spends her days romping around with other tigers with about 15 acres to roam. Photo by Joshua Polson.
The Greeley Stampede regularly hosts exotic animal shows at the Kids Coral, including Pages’ White Tiger Show and the Grizzly Experience.
According to a 2016 Greeley Tribune report, Wild Animal Sanctuary officials approached the Island Grove Advisory Committee and Greeley City Council asking them to ban exotic animal shows. The request was ultimately denied.
Weld County Commissioner Steve Moreno told the Tribune then he was worried a ban would create a slippery slope, especially as the stampede incorporates horses and other livestock.
Vicenta Pages, with the Pages’ White Tiger Show, told the Tribune she saw show as an opportunity to educate the public about conservation.
Though the Wild Animal Sanctuary has seen plenty of opposition, Drotar said it hasn’t given up.
This year, folks from the sanctuary went to testify in favor of Senate Bill 20-125, which, if approved, would create the “Traveling Exotic Animal Safety Protection Act.” If passed, folks who violate the act would get a misdemeanor and would be subject to a fine of $250 and $1,000 per violation. Fort Collins Sen. Joann Ginal is one of the bill’s prime sponsors.
Drotar said he’s heard folks say they’re worried the bill will be used to target rodeo animals.
“The bill is really just trying to target exotic animals like leopards, grizzly bears, and tigers from traveling for entertainment purposes,” Drotar said. “That would prevent having grizzly bears in 95-degree heat during the stampede.”
The bill passed the senate on Feb. 26 and was introduced into the House Feb. 28.
A hearing was scheduled for mid-March, Drotar said, but it had to be rescheduled due to COVID-19.
Even though exotic animals do make appearances at events such as the stampede and the Renaissance Festival, you won’t hear about any legal private wild animal zoos or collections in Colorado. There’s a reason for that.
The state of Colorado doesn’t allow folks to own dangerous wild animals as pets. That ban extends to big cats, bears, wolves, primates and some reptiles, including poisonous snakes, according to the Humane Society.
Photo courtesy of The Human Society.
States such as Oklahoma, Texas, and Missouri don’t ban dangerous wild animals, but do require folks to get a permit for some species.
States such as Nevada, Alabama, Wisconsin, North Carolina and South Carolina don’t have any laws regarding keeping dangerous wild animals as pets.
“There are different mentalities in different parts of the country,” Drotar said.
All the attention came at a good time
In a way, Drotar said, the release of the Tiger King documentary came at a great time.
A tiger looks off into the distance April 4, 2020 at the Wild Animal Sanctuary. This tiger is one of 39 tigers and three bears rescued from Joe Exotic’s zoo in 2017. Photo by Joshua Polson.
“We didn’t go looking for it, but Tiger King came out at a time when many people are watching Netflix at home,” Drotar said. Over the last couple weeks, major outlets such as The Denver Post, CNN and People Magazine paid the sanctuary a visit, Drotar said.
It costs about $8,000 a year to care for one tiger.
Regular donations are down due to COVID-19, Drotar said, and panic buying has interfered with the sanctuary’s ability to get food for the animals.
Drotar said he hopes all the attention on the rescued tigers will bring in more donations and help even things out.