The infamous Tiger King star Jeff Lowe has been in the news recently, and not for good reasons. Apparently, Jeff Lowe has been accused of animal cruelty by the US Government. As a result, The Tiger King zoo has been taken away from Jeff Lowe and given to Carole Baskin. However, if you haven’t yet understood what we are talking about, let me explain to you in detail.
Who is Jeff Lowe?
You must have seen or heard about Jeff Lowe as The Tiger King from Netflix. Jeff Lowe, who was introduced to Joe Exotic’s Zoo as an investor, is now the greatest enemy of its animals. Moreover, Jeff Lowe is known to have fulfilled his personal expenses at the cost of the zoo and it’s animals. In fact, the Oklahoma animal park has a history of owners with criminal offences.
Jeff Lowe, along with his wife, adds to the list. Mr. Lowe appeared as the latest figure from the documentary ‘The Tiger King’. The documentary is about feuding exotic-animal owners and animal-rights activists.
What is happening with Jeff Lowe?
As mentioned above, Jeff Lowe has been known for wrongdoings with his zoo. As a result, Jeff Lowe and his wife Lauren have been sued for violating the Endangered Species Act and Animal Welfare Act. Last week, the Department of Justice filed a 110-page civil complaint against Lowe’s. Precisely, the complaint accused the couple of exhibiting animals without a license. Hence, they risked the health of the animals and violating the Endangered Species Act and Animal Welfare Act.
This case has been going on for a long. In June 2020, inspectors from the U.S.D.A.’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service took a look at the zoo. Subsequently, they found some of the animals in “poor health and living in substandard conditions at the Wynnewood facility,” All this led to the violation of the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.
Jonathan D. Brightbill, the principal deputy assistant attorney general of the Environment and Natural Resources Division also commented. He said, “The Lowes’ failure to provide basic veterinary care, appropriate food, and safe living conditions for the animals does not meet standards required by both the Animal Welfare Act and the Endangered Species Act.”
Jeff Lowe’s take on the case!
As of now, there has been no statement made by Jeff Lowe himself. However, Jeff’s lawyer James M. Wirth gave the statement that the couple was “consistently caring and kind stewards of animals in their care.” He also mentioned that the government had constructed a fictional interpretation of the Animal Welfare Act. According to Wirth, the government did so because Mr. and Mrs. Lowe permitted a documentary crew in the zoo. Therefore they were unlawfully exhibiting wildlife. Later he cleared, “By the government’s contrived standard, anyone who takes a selfie of an endangered species in a zoo is an unlawful exhibitor in violation of federal law.”
As a result, the USDA suspended and attempted to permanently revoke Mr. Lowe’s Animal Welfare Act exhibitor license in August. Later, Mr. Lowe voluntarily terminated his own license and moved the animals to a 33-acre property in Thackerville, Oklahoma. They have said that their new facility there would be named the Tiger King Park and would operate as a film set for television shows. The Lowes does not have a license to exhibit animals anymore.
