Why the American Public Missed the Worst Part of the Tiger King series

During the COVID-19 pandemic the documentary series, “Tiger King” swept the nation and became one of the most popular shows to watch on Netflix. The documentary series was centered around a man and his roadside zoo in Oklahoma which housed hundreds of animals including big cats. The show was so focused around the unique character of Joe Exotic as well as his rivalry with another owner of a private zoo, Carole Baskin, that the horrific treatment of the animals went unnoticed. This unfortunate oversight means that the animals are still suffering and still no one is doing anything to look after their wellbeing.

These roadside zoos are fairly common in states such as Texas and Oklahoma. Currently there are more tigers living in captivity in Texas than there are in the world. These animals are born into captivity and spend the entirety of their lives in extremely small cages. As young cubs they are taken out of their cages and paraded around like stuffed animals. The owners of these zoos create “shows” where they allow people to pet and play with these tiny helpless cubs who are taken away from their mothers. These zoos are also notorious cross breeders who create unnatural breeds such as “ligers” (a mix between a lion and a tiger). Animals who are cross bred tend to have extreme health problems and genetic disorders that completely deplete their quality of life and make it impossible to be released into the wild.

While the documentary was incredibly interesting, the general audience missed a huge opportunity to fight for these animals’ rights and shut down roadside zoos. Unfortunately, many of these zoos are still in business and have even increased in popularity because of the show. Hopefully if the tv show continues to produce episodes they talk about the issues these animals face instead of just talking about the people who put them behind bars.