Where Are the Tigers From Oklahoma’s ‘Tiger King’ Now?

After four years since the documentary aired and lots of drama later, some of us may be wondering, where are the tigers now?

In 2020, the whole world learned of the Tiger King thanks to the Netflix documentary that centered around Joe Exotic who ran the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma. A lot transpired after the document aired and there were several ownership changes of the animal park. Today, the tigers are thriving at a new home outside of Oklahoma.

Get our free mobile app

If you haven't seen "Tiger King" on Netflix, Texas Monthly outlined Joe Exotic's downfall that was recorded in the documentary. The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park opened in Wynnewood, Oklahoma, in 1999 and closed down in August 2020 - several months after the documentary aired in March of that year.

According to the article from Texas Monthly, things started to go really downhill for Joe Exotic in 2013 when he lost a million-dollar lawsuit to his archnemesis Carol Baskins. His obsession with taking down Baskins led to him losing everything, including the animal park and his beloved tigers. The park was taken over in 2018 by another enemy of Joe Exotic, Jeff Lowe, who "squeezed Joe out of the business."

Today, Joe Exotic is in prison for 17 federal charges of animal abuse and two counts of attempted murder-for-hire. He was also convicted of wildlife violations for killing five tigers, selling tiger cubs and falsifying records.

So where are Joe Exotic's tigers now?

Thanks to a recent "60 Minutes" episode, we know now that Carol Baskins did not get Joe Exotic's tigers. According to the episode, Joe Exotic's tigers are now thriving at a sanctuary in Colorado. In 2021, the Department of Justice dispatched The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado, to retrieve the tigers that were kept by Joe Exotic and his associate Jeff Lowe.

According to the sanctuary's owner, when they arrived at the animal park in Oklahoma, the tigers were in tiny cages, "they could only walk a few paces before they had to turn around," and they were underfed, which was apparent by the animals' noticeable backbones and ribs.

Today, the tigers are able to roam a large terrain and are able to tune into their natural abilities. The tigers have also put on some much needed weight and have gone from weighing 400 pounds when they first arrived to a healthy 600 pounds.

@60minutes Life after "Tiger King" for rescued tigers #tigerking #tiger #animalsanctuary #60minutes ♬ original sound - 60 Minutes