Tiger King on Netflix

I can't believe any of them are still out walking around.

 

True. But that guy in particular. He accepted money from Joe to commit a murder and he's on camera talking about how he said he'd cut her head off...etc. All said with no emotion whatsoever. Just like it's nothing to him. Crazy.

 

I'm not sure he was ever serious about carrying out the act. I think he just wanted the money and was in cahoots with Jeff what his face to frame Joe and get a hold of his animals.

My take? I don't think there's any question that Carole Baskin killed her husband (or had him killed). Good luck coming up with evidence with that unless DNA can be extracted from tiger poop that's about 17 years old. Also, her now husband is an absolute clown. He comes across as, perhaps, the most clueless and desperate individual in the entire show. You've got to know he's smart enough to know what he's into, but doesn't seem to care. Some people are so needy and clownshow.

 

I enjoyed the first few eps, but by the final couple, felt like I was watching a reality tv show - which I avoid like the plague. No regrets, it WAS entertaining, and the entire cast of characters were bat**** crazy.

But so is America. Here’s Amazon’s best-selling cds, in a screengrab captured four minutes ago. Better watch out Pearl Jam!

 

You probably do know more about her having seen the seven episodes than the person writing the article, who has known her for years.

 

It was written by PETA's US director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement. That's enough for me to doubt it's veracity. But thanks for posting it. I always enjoy reading different opinions. Much appreciated!

 

That sir, is hilarious! Might be the best laugh of the day and it's only 5:11 AM. Only to be out done if PJ lose the top spot to him.

 

I can personally vouch that everything she writes in that post is 100% true, for whatever that’s worth to you.

 

I don't doubt, and completely agree, that all of the people on the show are narcissistic animal abusers. Unlike the article, I include Carol Baskin on that list too. PETA can say she's great, I do not have to agree.
In fact, I disagree with the whole tone of the article. In the sense that if the author thinks the series romanticized them, she must not have watched it. They all come off as cruel, petty, horrible people.
I think that's the only point we don't agree on, Carol.

 

Winner of post of the day

 

The whole tone of the article is purely factual until the concluding paragraph:

Our big worry is, just as we’re on the precipice of ending this industry, a docu-series like Tiger King could glamourise someone like Joe and drive people to do tiger cub encounters. For the most part, while people may see Joe as a joke, they do also seem to be taking a serious message away from Tiger King – that these men are dangerous criminals abusing animals, and in some instances, grooming women too. These people aren’t caricatures, they’re real people. It’s important for all of us not just to see this as a joke, but also a call to action to get these animals away from these awful people.
​

So, a worry that a docu series like Tiger King could glamourise people like Joe—that’s about people taking away the message that this is more about the reality TV aspects or about playing with exotic animals. I’m glad you’re taking away the right message about Joe, but if you look at the reactions online, there’s a mixed bag out there and it seems to be in the eye of the beholder.

She says that, for the most part, people seem to be taking a serious message away from Tiger King. I don’t believe the whole thrust of the article is remotely about romanticizing these people, no matter what stupid headline Harper’s Bazaar chose to slap on top of it.

 

The article seemed like a bit of a "love letter" to Carol Baskin IMHO. I see her in the same light as the others in the doc.
You seem to be a Carol Baskin supporter so I'm going to have to say we will have to agree to disagree on her.
Interesting and engaging conversation. Thanks!

 

I came across a big cat sanctuary one time in an unincorporated, backwoods, section of far suburban Chicago. After about 30 seconds of a quick look see, I beat feet out of there...quickly!

 

There is a difference between these unaccredited roadside zoos and accredited sanctuaries. Check out the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries and their standards. They really are the gold standard. Joe, Jeff, Doc, Tim, and Mario are not and never could be accredited. The only person in the series accredited is Carole Baskin. By only showing her shift cages, used for feeding, and not the full extent of the habitats, the series paints her in a very misleading light. There are really three organizations that have done the most to put Joe Exotic out of business: Big Cat Rescue, PETA, and The Wild Animal Sanctuary, outside of Denver.

 

While what you may say about Baskin is true, she is shown taking as much advantage for profit on the animals she "rescues" as these other guys. She's charging admission, (to the best of my recollection has a gift shop), and so forth. From what we know of Baskin, she has a lot of money from her ex-husband's "disappearance" so why charge admission and make money off souvenirs and such? If she's truly dedicated to rescue of big cats, why not run the sanctuary as a non-profit or, better yet, have the animals released back into the wild (though that might not be an option as they've lived in captivity their whole lives. I also think most of these tigers have been declawed, which is dead wrong and makes them a liability out in the wild as well)?

 

Big Cat Rescue is a non-profit. Many non-profits sell merchandise to raise funds for their mission. She runs guided tours, as do most sanctuaries. Unlike Joe, Jeff, Tim, and Doc, Big Cat Rescue and other accredited sanctuaries do not allow the public to come into contact with big cats. On a guided tour, you may see big cats in their habitats, but you also may not—the cats have choice, and can escape from public view.

I don’t think any of the cats at Big Cat Rescue are declawed, but there may be some. Tim Stark declaws cubs, which is wrong as you say, but he has been ordered by a preliminary injunction to stop, pending the outcome of PETA’s Endangered Species Act suit against him.

Whether declawed or not, generic tigers bred in captivity cannot be released to the wild, because they are not real species of tigers that exist in the wild—they have no conservation value—and because they don’t know how to be tigers. They’ve been separated from their mothers at infancy and therefore taught none of the needed skills to exist in the wild. They’ve also been imprinted with humans and though they maintain some species-specific instincts, they simply don’t have the range of normal behavioral abilities to survive on their own. For these reasons, so long as there are roadside zoos and backyard breeders of big cats, there will always be a need for sanctuaries when the cubs age out of their exploitative playtime/petting operations, so they can go to facilities that provide as natural a setting as possible where they can live out their lives under more species-appropriate circumstances. Which, of course, will never be perfect or ideal, but are a damn sight better for the animals.

 

And sanctuaries don't breed.

 

Damned if "I Saw a Tiger" hasn't been stuck in my head for a few days now... I might buy the CD just for the heck of it.

 

Good info. Thank you.

 

Paul Stanley from KISS and Joe Exotic separated at birth? Hmm....
Paul Stanley on Twitter

 

Not now but they did when they were known as Wildlife On Easy Street.

Cabin Rental in Tampa, FL

 

Interesting ...

 

Yes, but it has been quite a while. Carole saw the light and they are legit now.

 

Wow this is the best TV in ages.

EVERY SINGLE PERSON IN THIS SHOW...is a nutjob!

Brilliant.

 

The guy with prosthetic legs seems to be pretty normal.