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The license of “Tiger King” star Jeff Lowe to exhibit exotic animals has been suspended following citations for inadequate veterinary care and other conditions at his Oklahoma zoo.
Federal and local authorities visited Lowe’s G.W. Zoo in Wynnewood, Okla., after a whistleblower leaked images of lions there that appeared to be suffering from a skin-eating condition called flystrike.
Following the USDA’s June 22 inspection of the zoo, Lowe, who has not responded to multiple requests for comment, told TMZ that he had corrected the issues.
Nala, a 16-week-old lion cub, was taken for immediate veterinary care during the inspection due to severe symptoms of respiratory infection. (USDA)
But on Monday, the USDA’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service website listed his license as suspended. And a recently released report on a July 8 follow-up inspection indicated that while the zoo’s most egregious violation had been corrected, the animals were still allegedly facing veterinary care failures.
Inspectors said the zoo was not following its written program of veterinary care; a fisher cat suffering from hair loss and a lame leg had still not been treated. Two aging, arthritic wolves at the zoo that were supposed to receive soft bedding still were in a concrete enclosure.
Jeff Lowe assumed control of the big cat zoo from Joe Exotic before a judge granted ownership to rival Carole Baskin. (Taylor Lowe)
Inspectors also reported that they found the facility’s refrigerator truck was not actually running – after noticing “an odor of decaying flesh.” The temperature inside was around 85 degrees.
PHOTOS AT 'TIGER KING' STAR JEFF LOWE'S GW ZOO REVEAL ALLEGED NEGLECT
Additionally, almost three dozen animals were unaccounted for, according to inspectors, including four tigers and a Liger hybrid.
Bobbi Brink, the founder of a California-based exotic animal sanctuary called Lions, Tigers and Bears, said the missing cats raised red flags, but that hundreds and possibly thousands of them vanish every year due to a lack of federal tracking.
Still, she said it was extremely rare to see the USDA take away a zookeeper’s license.
'TIGER KING' STAR JEFF LOWE CITED BY USDA INSPECTORS OVER VETERINARY-CARE SHORTCOMINGS
Since the 1990s, she said she has helped move more than 400 lions, tigers and bears into sanctuaries across the country.
In that time, she said she has only heard of the USDA suspending the license of one other big cat exhibitor – Tim Stark, a former business associate of Lowe’s and his co-defendant in an Endangered Species Act lawsuit brought by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).
Earlier this month, an Indiana court granted partial summary judgment in favor of PETA in connection with the case against Stark, his company, Wildlife in Need and Wildlife in Deed Inc., and his ex-wife, Melissa Lane. The court ordered permanent injunctions barring Stark, WIN and Lane from exhibiting big cats, separating mothers from cubs, and from possessing lions, tigers and hybrids that were acquired in violation of federal law.
Brink has offered to find new homes for all of Lowe’s animals at sanctuaries around the country – and to transport them there.
“I have one of the nicest animal haulers in the country,” she told Fox News, adding that she would donate its use at no cost to Lowe’s G.W. Zoo or the state of Oklahoma.
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The suspension is the latest in a string of legal complications facing the zoo, people related to its operations and Netflix's "Tiger King" cast.
It previously belonged to series star Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage. He is serving a 22-year prison sentence in a murder-for-hire plot against his rival, Carole Baskin.
Baskin was granted ownership of the zoo earlier this year, but a judge gave Lowe time to wind down operations before transferring control. In early June, he said he had plans to bring the animals to a new, larger facility.
