‘Tiger King’ star Carole Baskin just won control of Joe Exotic’s former zoo

Yet another controversy surrounding Tiger King has hit the news this week. As we saw in the Netflix docuseries, Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin‘s feud has been decades-long and is part of the reason Exotic is currently in prison. Now, it appears that the last thing Exotic would want his archnemesis to do is actually happening.

A federal judge has ruled that Baskin will now control Exotic’s former zoo in Oklahoma.

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Exotic (aka Joseph Maldonado-Passage) is currently serving 22 years in federal prison for hiring a hitman to kill Baskin and for more than a dozen wildlife violations including the killing of five tigers. Due to his convictions and previous financial problems, Exotic lost control of his Oklahoma zoo. It was later reported that Exotic had fraudulently transferred the zoo to his mother, Shirley Schreibvogel, years ago. Baskin then opened a court case in 2016 to try and take control of the zoo.

Now, it’s being reported that Baskin has won the case and now controls The G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park alongside her Big Cat Rescue. Jeff Lowe, who also appears in Tiger King, currently runs Exotic’s former zoo. In the court ruling that was published online, Lowe reportedly has 120 days to vacate the premises and the wildlife that currently reside there.

Carole’s husband Howard Baskin, who also appears in the Netflix series, took to the Big Cat Rescue Facebook page to update followers. You can watch his statement below and get more information on the ruling here.

No information on what Baskin intends to do with the zoo has been released yet. According to reports, Exotic is currently in a Dallas-Fort Worth medical center following possible exposure to the coronavirus. He is still serving his 22-year prison sentence despite his legal team announcing last month they plan to ask Donald Trump for a pardon.

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It was also recently announced that two separate projects about Exotic and Baskin are in the works. Nicolas Cage is set to play Exotic and Tara Reid may portray Baskin in two different limited TV series. No information on when these shows will be released has been announced yet.

Exotic’s former employee John Reinke has been very vocal since the Netflix show aired. Reinke recently revealed in an interview that he has never been paid for his time on the show. He reportedly spent years filming for the series and never received a dime despite his co-stars receiving money. After working for Exotic for over 14 years, Reinke also says that Exotic is very different than how he is portrayed in the show.

Netflix is reportedly putting together more Tiger King episodes to release in the future. Reinke says that some of the unseen footage could put more individuals in prison. Along with new Tiger King episodes, Netflix has apparently greenlighted a follow-up series about Siegfried & Roy and the infamous 2003 mauling attack.

In the meantime, Baskin is keeping busy in other ways. She’s currently selling face masks with her signature catchphrase on them. She also recently made headlines after a prank pertaining to her being interviewed for The Tonight Show With Jimmy Fallon surfaced.

What do you think of Carole Baskin taking control of Exotic’s former zoo? Let us know in the comments below!

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