A conservation biologist says the animals in 'Tiger King' were just 'background noise' to human drama
- Conservation biologist Imogene Canceler told Insider that "Tiger King" focused too much on the drama surrounding Joe Exotic and its other eccentric characters instead of the plight of the big cats in their care.
- Ellie Armstrong, science advisor for the nonprofit Tigers in America, told Insider that wildlife professionals in the US knew a documentary about the domestic tiger trade was in the works, but were horrified when they finally saw "Tiger King."
- She said they had known tiger breeding and trafficking was a problem overseas, but didn't realize the extent to which it was happening in the US.
- Director Eric Goode told Vanity Fair he had "originally set out to do a slightly different story," admitting the personalities in the show "did trump the issue of the ethicacy of keeping these animals in captivity, and especially the way these people were using these animals — exploiting them for profit."
- However, the docuseries has sparked important conversations amongst concerned wildlife professionals: "We believe discussions like this will help to raise awareness and at some point, people will stop patronizing roadside zoos and faux sanctuaries," Armstrong said.
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It's hard to avoid the buzz around Netflix's hit "Tiger King" docuseries at the moment, but two wildlife professionals say viewers are taking the wrong messages away from the show.
Officially titled "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," the Netflix documentary chronicles the escalating conflict between big cat breeders operating private zoos and animal rights activists, and the story ultimately spirals into an alleged murder-for-hire plot, as Insider's Margot Harris reported.
Insider's Jason Guerrasio added: "But what makes this seven-episode docuseries something you can't turn away from is the flamboyant character called Joe Exotic. And that's saying really something because some of the other characters in the series include a conservation owner who is accused of running a cult, another who is a former cocaine drug lord, and a woman rescuer who is accused of murdering her first husband and feeding him to her exotic wild cats."
Since the show was released, social media has been filled with Joe Exotic memes, tiger-related TikToks, and a conspiracy theory suggesting character Carole Baskin killed her husband, Don Lewis, then fed his body to the big cats in her sanctuary.
While the general public is understandably obsessed with a cast of characters weirder than any even Hollywood's finest could dream up, experts say Exotic's biggest victims, the tigers, get lost in all the crazy interpersonal drama.
Animals rights issues are a backdrop to the show's wild characters
Ellie Armstrong, science advisor for the nonprofit Tigers in America and a PhD candidate at Stanford University, told Insider that wildlife professionals in the US knew a documentary about the domestic tiger trade was in the works, but were horrified when they finally saw "Tiger King."
"The last I'd heard, it wasn't happening," she said. "I guess things changed when Joe got arrested, and the producers decided to make a reality show instead of a documentary."
She said they had known tiger breeding and trafficking was a problem overseas, but didn't realize the extent to which it was happening in the US.
Conservation biologist Imogene Cancellare, meanwhile, has spent years studying big cats, including working for an accredited wildlife sanctuary, Carolina Tiger Rescue, and researching the genetic connectivity of wild snow leopards across Central Asia.
Currently a PhD candidate in the Rare and Elusive Species Lab at the University of Delaware, she loathed the Netflix show, accusing the producers of relegating the tigers to "background noise" for most of the episodes.
"Conversations have been about the larger-than-life people rather than the plight of private exotic animal ownership and what it means for the animals," she told Insider. "Producers played up the conspiracies with Baskin, but failed to distinguish her real — and much needed — efforts in combating animal abuse."
For much of the series, Exotic is presented as a goofy anti-hero, despite being seen stealing a just-born tiger cub from its helpless mother who is still in labor.
The series also suggests he "killed tigers, sold others in the middle of the night, and tried to hire someone to kill another person," as Cancellare puts it, but still: "For too many people, the takeaway is 'Carole Baskin's a bitch.' It's wild misogyny."
When directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin spoke to Vanity Fair about how the series came about, Goode, himself a conservationist, admitted the personalities in the show "did trump the issue of the ethic-acy of keeping these animals in captivity, and especially the way these people were using these animals — exploiting them for profit."
He added: "Personally, I had originally set out to do a slightly different story."
He later clarified his statement, saying: "I went into this to explore a different side of the animal world in terms of wild animals in captivity. After spending years with these subjects the project moved in a different direction.
"Netflix is very adept at making binge-worthy television and with these larger-than-life subjects that was pretty easy to do. However, my goal is and has always been the same, which is to raise awareness and help save the species."
What goes on behind the scenes at private zoos
When the baby tigers were brought out at Joe's zoo, hearts melted. But most of the visitors who pay for a similar experience, or witness it on TV, don't realize what likely went on behind the scenes, according to Armstrong.
"Tiger cubs separated from their mother aren't pleasant, snuggly little creatures," Armstrong said. "They're screaming, biting, scratching, and difficult to handle.
"A big part of getting a cub ready for one of these pay-to-pet operations is making it submissive, and you can imagine what that entails. They're dangerous at a very young age, and their claws and teeth very sharp. Exhibitors will often declaw the cubs and even file down their teeth to make them safe for visitors."
Declawing may seem like a relatively harmless procedure, but there's a reason why most veterinarians refuse to declaw domestic house cats today — it actually involves amputating the last digits of their paws, Armstrong said, and many of the cats never fully recover.
Meanwhile, teeth filing at the roadside zoos has become so pervasive that there's a whole foundation, the Peter Emily Foundation, dedicated to repairing sanctuary cats' teeth.
Cancellare told Insider that instead of getting around-the-clock care from their mothers, these tiger cubs suffer from a host of maladies, including chronic exhaustion, stress diarrhea, and malnourishment.
Baby tigers have a relatively short window where they're small enough to be safely handled, so pay-to-pet operators like Exotic and Doc Antle, another zoo owner from the series, need to constantly replenish their supply of cubs by breeding. After the cubs outlive their usefulness, they're often either sold or killed, Armstrong said.
Not only do the tiger cubs suffer, but so do their mothers. After her cubs are ripped away from her, the mother immediately goes back into heat, Armstrong said. They become like breeding factories, producing three litters and up to 12 cubs each year, before eventually dying prematurely.
Tigers in roadside zoos and private collections often die of neglect or untreated curable illnesses, while others are killed outright because of the need for space, according to Armstrong. Some are even sold to taxidermists or into the parts trade.
For operations that have been breeding and selling for 20 years, Armstrong estimates the number of tigers killed "could easily be in the thousands."
Tilting the 'Tiger King' spotlight
Cancellare was reluctant to comment on the particular motivations of the "Tiger King" cast, but lamented that most private owners seem to view tigers as commodities instead of the regal animals they are.
"Because it's so easy to acquire a tiger, it's easy for people to collect and treat them as livestock for personal gain under the guise of conservation efforts," Cancellare said.
While the docuseries itself may not have delved too deeply into the abuse the tigers endure, it has sparked conversation amongst concerned wildlife professionals on social media and elsewhere.
Cancellare herself did a deep dive on the problems presented in the show on Twitter shortly after the series premiered.
"You can tell from the way people often pose with wild animals they're not realizing the implications of their actions," Armstrong told Insider.
"We believe discussions like this will help to raise awareness and at some point, people will stop patronizing roadside zoos and faux sanctuaries."
What viewers can do to help
Instead of visiting unaccredited roadside zoos, Armstrong asks people to visit true sanctuaries, like PAWS in California, Indiana's Exotic Feline Rescue Center, or In-Sync Exotics in Texas, though a more thorough list can be found at tigersinamerica.org.
She also recommends donating to Tigers in America's Rescue Fund or another sanctuary and advocate for the Big Cat Public Safety Act (HR 1380).
Legitimate zoos and sanctuaries often support research efforts for wild tigers as well.
"Asking your accredited zoo or sanctuary what projects they support can be a good way to learn how you can support wild cats," Cancellare said. "Non-profits like Panthera are collaborating with scientists worldwide to address the conservation threats to tigers in the wild. Support of their work, either through boosting them on social media or donating directly, ensures that conservationists can thoroughly address conservation concerns."
Rumours are already circling around a potential follow-ups to "Tiger King" — including a movie starring Kate McKinnon as Baskin — but not surprisingly, both Cancellare and Armstrong have their reservations.
"I think the filmmakers have already shown us that they're not responsible storytellers," Armstrong said. "We could use a real documentary, say a 'Blackfish' about big cats, and not a 'Swamp People' with tigers reality show.
"The fact that Joe killed at least five of his healthy tigers because he needed more cage space, but is still portrayed as someone who deserves our sympathy, did their viewers a serious disservice."
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