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'Tiger King' zoo searched by police after human remains were believed to be buried on property
By Jessica Napoli
Published July 13, 2020
The Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, the zoo made famous in the "Tiger King" documentary series on Netflix, was searched by police on Friday.
Authorities in Oklahoma believed there were human remains buried on the property after The Travel Channel’s “Ghost Adventures” team brought in trained cadaver dogs as part of their production and a scent was picked up. The show was initially at the zoo to shoot an upcoming episode.
"Cadaver dogs were brought in as part of the team’s ghost investigation and did pick up a scent, which is currently being investigated further,” a spokesperson from The Travel Channel told TheWrap.
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Jeff Lowe, who owns the G.W. Zoo, told KOCO 5 that the dogs "hit on a small alligator pond" that is no longer in use. That's when the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation and the Garvin County Sheriff’s deputies responded.
But after hours of searching, Sheriff Jim Mullett said no evidence of human remains was found during their search. They did find a small animal with no tail buried.
Jeff Lowe (Netflix)
“We take it serious,” Mullett said. “We took our time and we looked around; looked in the pond and dug down."
Lowe said he plans on bringing the dogs back to search again.
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In June, federal, state, and local authorities investigated the zoo after People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) reported alleged animal neglect.
PETA released what it said were images provided by a whistleblower that show young lions at G.W. Zoo, which once belonged to convicted felon Joe Exotic (Joseph Maldonado-Passage). They show lions with sores and an infestation called “flystrike,” which occurs under unclean conditions when flies lay eggs on an animal and hatching maggots gnaw away at their skin, according to PETA.
"Tiger King" star Joe Exotic (Netflix)
“The USDA’s inaction allowed ‘Joe Exotic’ to abuse and neglect animals for years, and so far, it’s also failed to help the big cats held by Jeff Lowe,” PETA attorney Brittany Peet said in a statement.
In early July, the judge ordered Lowe to hand over documents pertaining to young lions' health.
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"This ruling tells Jeff Lowe that he can no longer evade the court's authority and needs to come clean about the ways these lions are suffering in his custody," Peet said in a statement on the ruling. "PETA looks forward to reviewing these records and getting these animals transferred to accredited sanctuaries."
The judge also ordered Lowe to cover attorney’s fees and sit for a deposition.
https://www.foxnews.com/entertainment/tiger-king-zoo-searched-police-human-remains