[Animals] Seized 'Tiger King' animals taken in at Minnesota's Wildcat Sanctuary

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SANDSTONE, Minn. — The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, Minn., has accepted several big cats seized last week from Tiger King Park, the park featured in the po[CENSORED]r Netflix docuseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”

Last week, federal authorities seized 69 big cats from the animal park owned by Jeff and Lauren Lowe. The Lowes had taken over the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park from “Tiger King” star Joe Exotic in 2016. When that park shut down in August 2020, they moved the animals to their facility in Thackerville, Okla.

According to a Reuters report, the Lowes were accused in November of harming and harassing the animals, violating the Endangered Species Act and the Animal Welfare Act.

In a news release Monday, The Wildcat Sanctuary said it accepted several tigers, lions and hybrid big cats from the federal seizure.

“I am thankful for the coordinated effort of several accredited sanctuaries and federal agencies to ensure these cats were safely removed,” said Tammy Thies, founder and executive director of The Wildcat Sanctuary, in a Facebook post. “The Endangered Species Act is a federal law designed to protect endangered animals and I, along with the entire accredited sanctuary community, am very relieved that these big cats will receive the care and nutrition they desperately need and deserve.”

All of the big cats have been accepted by accredited sanctuaries in the U.S. while the U.S. Department of Justice seeks forfeiture of the animals. The Wildcat Sanctuary has also offered to transport and provide a permanent home to any of the smaller cats that remain at Tiger King Park.