Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness star Joe Exotic is currently in prison as part of a 22-year sentence, but the popularity of the documentary has had an interesting effect on his former zoo in Wynnewood. The zoo, formerly known as the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, has now been renamed Tiger King Park, and the park reopened to a packed crowd. The park had its official reopening this weekend, and a huge crowd of people were waiting to get in once coronavirus restrictions were eased in the area (via TMZ).
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The line was long as people waited to get inside the now infamous park, and it seems people and families from around the country came to see the location in person after watching the documentary on Netflix.
TMZ notes that there wasn’t a lot of social distancing at work in the park, as not many masks were being used and many were crammed into smaller areas to see the lions and tigers. Tiger cub petting was also a primary attraction, where people had the chance to play with cubs and meet zookeeper Erik Cowie.
While Joe is in prison, his business partner Jeff Lowe is taking full advantage of the attention from the documentary, changing the name and welcoming the large crowds. Lowe and his wife were on hand and greeted people around the park, and fans also had a chance to meet Allen Glover, who fans know as the alleged hitman and who served as a witness at Joe’s trial.
It’s a bit surreal, and while we aren’t sure if the attention will last, Tiger King Park is going to ride that attention train as long as they can.
You can find the official description for Tiger King below.
“Among the eccentrics and cult personalities in the stranger-than-fiction world of big cat owners, few stand out more than Joe Exotic, a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist and country western singer who presides over an Oklahoma roadside zoo. Charismatic but misguided, Joe and an unbelievable cast of characters including drug kingpins, conmen, and cult leaders all share a passion for big cats, and the status and attention their dangerous menageries garner. But things take a dark turn when Carole Baskin, an animal activist and owner of a big cat sanctuary, threatens to put them out of business, stoking a rivalry that eventually leads to Joe’s arrest for a murder-for-hire plot, and reveals a twisted tale where the only thing more dangerous than a big cat is its owner.”
Tiger King is available on Netflix now.
