Tiger King zoo investigators ‘found dead animals and underfed baby lions and bears’
An investigation into the Tiger King zoo found sick animals were not receiving proper care and a baby lion that had to be rushed to a vet for urgent treatment
An investigation into the Tiger King zoo found dead animals around the premises and underfed lions and bears, it’s claimed.
The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) has found that GW Exotic Animal Park is not providing proper veterinary care for the animals that live there, according to TMZ.
Among the findings were sick animals not receiving medical treatment and a baby lion that had to be rushed to a vet.
The zoo, which featured in the Netflix series Tiger King, was previously controlled by Joe Exotic but is now run by Jeff Lowe.
But Lowe believes the USDA is out to get him and claims the zoo received five clean inspections from the department prior to this report.
The USDA says it found the charred remains of a 17-year-old tigon, along with a dead tiger.
The report said: “There is a foul odor of decomposing flesh and many flies are present on the boards and surrounding areas.”
Lowe did not address the dead animals, but maintains the GW Zoo has weekly vet visits
Fans of the Netflix show saw Joe sign over his zoo to fellow documentary subject Jeff – before Joe himself was arrested and jailed for a string of crimes including animal abuse and a murder for hire plot.
The USDA launched an investigation after a whistlebower shared horrifying images of animals still captive in the zoo showing signs of severe neglect.
Three lions were seen with bloody, open wounds – with one exhibiting severely injured and bloody ears and others showing cuts on their legs.
Among the USDA’s findings was a 16-week-old lion cub called Nala who was lethargic, depressed, and so thin she wouldn’t get up from a sitting position even after prompting.
Nala was immediately removed from the park and taken to a vet.
Lowe claims Nala was actually rescued from Tim Stark who also featured in the Netflix series.
He says he spent a fortune trying to nurse her and others back to health.
Other reported examples of neglect include two geriatric wolves suffering from arthritis, according to the report.
The USDA says the zoo was “not following the instructions of the veterinarian to provide medication and bedding for the wolves.”
There was also a grizzly bear reportedly found to be extremely thin and a black bear that appeared to be underweight, with both showing heightened aggression.
But Jeff said the wolves are receiving treatment and the bears are in their proper weight class.
He says the Dept. of Fish & Wildlife recently deemed them to be in good shape by local authorities.
Lowe claims report doesn’t acknowledge that “many of the animals that we house here are at the end of their lives and suffer from arthritis and do lose some weight toward the end of their days.”
He said the Tiger King documentary painted a poor picture of the zoo.
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