Carole Baskin of ‘Tiger King’ fame is selling leopard print face masks
Updated: 10:40 AM EDT May 19, 2020
Show Transcript
way had no idea that this would turn into a worldwide phenomenon, But it did way First brought you the wild tale of Joseph Maldonado Passage, better known as Joe Exotic in 2018. At the time, the self proclaimed country singer one time presidential candidate and owner of an exotic animal park in Oklahoma was facing two counts of murder for hire. The alleged target. One of his most outspoken critics, the CEO of a Florida wildlife sanctuary, Carole Baskin. Neil. You cool gassing kittens. It’s Caroline can’t rescue. If I wanted to kill her, I would have done it way before I spent 3/4 of a $1,000,000 arguing with her in toward the higher at $3000. Hit Man. How much? Since that night, Fast forward to January 2020 and Joe Exotic is convicted of 17 charges related to his handling and treatment of animals in this park, including killing five tigers. He has also found guilty of soliciting a park employees to try to kill Carroll Basket and is now serving a 22 year prison sentence was so just absolutely relieved. I think it’s poetic justice that he could end up spending the rest of his life in a cage because of the fact that he read so many innocent big cats. Prophetic sex. But the story doesn’t end there. The wild world of exotic animal breeding, exploitation and conservation caught the nation’s attention thanks to a Netflix documentary. Siri’s Ko Seo reporter Mecca Rain has been following the story of Joe Exotic for years now that he’s behind bars and the cameras have stopped rolling. We wanted to know what life is like in Oklahoma after Tiger King, so Alan still works there. You remember him on the docuseries, where it was said that Joe asked him to carry out the hit. Jeff and Lauren, obviously still there as they are, the current owners and Eric Cowie is still there in case you need a refresher. Jeff and Lauren Low took over the zoo in 2016 when Joe was financially tied up in a multi $1,000,000 lawsuit with Carol Basket. At the time, the lows brought in some of their own staff, including Alan Glover, the man prosecutors say Joe Exotic paid to try to kill Carroll Basket, and Eric Cowie was and still is the head zookeeper at the park. When people see them, when they go to Walmart or when they’re out shopping, people stop them. They want to take pictures with them. They want autographs. It’s a shock to see them in person is how they’ve described to me. And Alan and Erik are trust people who do the work, their workers. So this whole Hollywood style, you know, can I talk to you can take your picture is very unusual to them. Like they said to me many times. They’re just there to do the work. They love the cats. For Jeff and Lori, I don’t think it’s as crazy because there usedto Las Vegas style lifestyles. You know that this is not completely out of their rail. They’re aware that people think that it’s it’s while they’re open Teoh fund, as they would put it. But when you see it on the big screen and you are talking about women, you’re talking about sexy nannies and scantily clad women. It’s very Hollywood ask, but in person they’re like any normal couple that I’ve you know, had a chance to talk with when their home with their little girl, they are home with her as some of the most memorable characters from the Netflix show. They’re feeling the effects of having their lives on display. We had no idea that it would go this big this fast. And, you know, the Corona virus didn’t didn’t help. Um, didn’t hurt. Corona virus, I think, plays a big part in that people are hope. People are hearing everybody talk about it. These means are out outrageously funny and they know it. But there is a downside. In Jeff’s case, I think a lot of the backlash that he got was that he felt like it looked like he set Joe up. And from his perspective, he didn’t set Joe up. He says that Joe and Carol have this ongoing battle way before he even entered the picture, it ended up unraveling the way it did in the heat. He ended up getting involved, but he says he didn’t set him. His involvement was because he had taken over the park for Joe and you know, there were some things that happened and he wasn’t OK with it, and when it came down to it, he was going to turn Joe over because it was illegal people Hitman how they see what’s been the response. No, not really. I mean, not to my face have it Doesn’t Lauren did tell me that some of the other backlash they’re getting it, that people are stopping by and doing things that are not very safe, trying to jump over fences or put their hands and tiger cages video of people jumping the perimeter fences that the USDA makes us put their for their safety. The irony of the situation is not lost on Jeff. Joe finally got all the fame and attention he had been seeking, but it came at a price. He’s probably the most famous he could ever be, and he can’t even experience and he’s in a cell. And so I think that for someone who liked the limelight, this is as big as it gets. I mean, this is a national explosion. This is international. So for him not to be able to experience this fame, I think, is probably problematic for him. Low and his staff are eager to distance themselves from the name and legacy of Joe exotic, especially after some controversial clips in the show had people questioning the park’s treatment of animals I think there was a lot more Tiu, just him having these big cats. It’s the way that you talk to them. It’s the way that you feed them. It’s the way that you deal with them. It’s the way that they’re living their lives. Okay, let’s say they are in captivity. But do they have the best life possible within this? This this captive world that they’re living in? We’re all snitches in narc snow, and we’re all rats. But all of these animals are safe. We’re gonna leave this place behind. We’ll take all the animals with us. Can’t wait to get out of here before the new zoo. The last time I talked to them, which was just a couple of days ago. So they are working to get this to up and running. But because we’ve hasn’t inclement weather, they’re telling me that this is kind of delayed the process and the move of the zoo to factor Bill, they are planning this move. I’ve been out there, but I don’t know exactly when the move is going to happen. Just because after the docuseries, you know, it was a worldwide phenomenon and now other things were happening, so the move will happen on day. I’m just not sure when they want a lot more space for the animals, and they don’t want the tone or the vibe of Joe exotic anywhere near their news. He’s out of the picture. His name will not be mentioned. It will have nothing to do with the new facility. We’re gonna let this place here and when he would Oklahoma die with him. As for Carole Baskin, she may be relieved that Joe Exotic is behind bars. But the docuseries did stir up renewed interest in the disappearance of her former husband, Don Luis. He went missing in 1997 while he was still married to Carol and hasn’t been seen since. Joe Exotic, fixated on the theory that Baskin killed her husband and even wrote a song about it. When I first started working on this story, Jeff and Lauren told me about this Carol Baskin character and her husband. When I turned on the Siri’s and that was Chapter two, I could not believe that I had no idea that there was an actual investigation into the disappearance of her husband, a sheriff in Florida. Actually tweeted that because of the popularity of the show, it was a good time to ask the public for new leads. I don’t think I can express enough. People are fascinated with the life of people who live with big cats with exotic animals. I will say, just working on a story like this I feel like is once in a lifetime from all of us. Here it dispatches from the middle. Thanks for watching.
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Carole Baskin of ‘Tiger King’ fame is selling leopard print face masks
Updated: 10:40 AM EDT May 19, 2020
Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin is bringing together the two necessities that are helping us get through this pandemic — masks and of course, “Tiger King.”Baskin, who was featured in the immensely popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” is officially selling cat-themed face masks.They come in two styles — one black and one leopard print — but both feature a whiskered cat smile and Baskin’s tagline, “Hey all you cool cats and kittens.”The masks, available on tread365.com, cost $11 each. A portion of the proceeds will go to support big cats, obviously, but also, first responders, according to the product description.Big Cat Rescue, Baskin’s animal sanctuary in Tampa, Florida, has been closed to the public due to the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped her from providing daily updates to her fans on the sanctuary’s Facebook page — and pushing back against some of the drama.”There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the series… had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers,” Baskin wrote in a blog post titled “Refuting Netflix Tiger King.”With 64 million member households worldwide viewing “Tiger King,” according to Netflix, Etsy creators and other online retailers have been cashing in on the trend by selling face masks that feature Joe Exotic and the iconic smile of his ex-husband, John Finlay. Now, fans can get one produced by one of the show’s subjects.
Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin is bringing together the two necessities that are helping us get through this pandemic — masks and of course, “Tiger King.”
Baskin, who was featured in the immensely popular Netflix docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” is officially selling cat-themed face masks.
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They come in two styles — one black and one leopard print — but both feature a whiskered cat smile and Baskin’s tagline, “Hey all you cool cats and kittens.”
The masks, available on tread365.com, cost $11 each. A portion of the proceeds will go to support big cats, obviously, but also, first responders, according to the product description.
Big Cat Rescue, Baskin’s animal sanctuary in Tampa, Florida, has been closed to the public due to the pandemic. But that hasn’t stopped her from providing daily updates to her fans on the sanctuary’s Facebook page — and pushing back against some of the drama.
“There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the series… had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers,” Baskin wrote in a blog post titled “Refuting Netflix Tiger King.”
With 64 million member households worldwide viewing “Tiger King,” according to Netflix, Etsy creators and other online retailers have been cashing in on the trend by selling face masks that feature Joe Exotic and the iconic smile of his ex-husband, John Finlay.
Now, fans can get one produced by one of the show’s subjects.
