Tiger King’s Jeff Lowe Is Being Evicted From The Park
Published
Tiger King‘s Jeff Lowe is being forced to look for a new location to set up a zoo after unpaid fees led the land owner to hit him with an eviction notice.
Lowe housed numerous big cats at the animal park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, where he was seen working alongside his wife, Lauren, in Netflix’s hit series about Joe Exotic and the GW Zoo.
Sixty-eight big cats were seized from the park earlier this year following concerns about the animals’ care, and now Lowe has been told he must vacate the premises by midday on October 22.
Legal documents obtained by TMZ reveal the eviction comes as the owner of the park accused Lowe of owing more than $10,000 in unpaid rent and other damages. A judge working on the case ruled that as well as vacating the park, the zookeeper has to pay the $10,000.
Lowe’s wife, Lauren, is said to have attempted to fight the eviction by showing up to court and saying Lowe was taking care of their sick child. She asked the judge to give them an additional 30 days before being evicted, but her request was denied.
Lowe told TMZ he is going to move the zoo to a new location which is yet to be determined.
The US Department of Justice announced the removal of big cats from Lowe’s property in May after a civil complaint filed in November 2020 accused them of recurring inhumane treatment and improper handling of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act, Sky News reports.
Around the same time, a judge found Lowe and his wife were in contempt for failing to adhere to previous court orders that required them to employ a qualified vet and maintain a programme of care for the animals.
Acting assistant attorney general Nichola McQuaid said at the time the Department of Justice was trying to rehome the animals in ‘responsible animal preserves where they can be safely maintained rather than exploited’.
Lowe has previously urged people to ‘watch Tiger King 2 for the real story’ of the events. The second series of the hit show is set to be released on Netflix on November 17.
If you have a story you want to tell, send it to UNILAD via [email protected]
Topics: Animals, Joe Exotic, Netflix, Now, Tiger King
