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'Tiger King' Joe Exotic loses control of zoo to nemesis Carole Baskin after failing to pay her $1m

Joe Exotic is currently serving 22 years in federal prison - -/AFP
Joe Exotic is currently serving 22 years in federal prison - -/AFP

Joe Exotic, the subject of Netflix’s wildly popular documentary series ‘Tiger King’, has lost control of his zoo to his arch rival Carole Baskin after failing to pay her $1m for copyright and trademark breaches.

Ms Baskin, the owner of Big Cat Rescue (BCR) in Florida, has also been granted ownership of several cabins and vehicles located on the property.

Ms Baskin originally sued Mr Exotic after he named his travelling circus show ‘Big Cat Entertainment’ in an effort to redirect the attention of Google users searching for Big Cat Rescue.

Mr Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving 22 years in a federal prison, having been convicted of 17 counts of animal abuse and a murder-for-hire plot against Ms Baskin.

Joe Exotic had transferred ownership of G.W. Exotic Animal Memorial Park in Wynnewood, Oklahoma to his mother, Shirley Schreibvogel, and Jeff Lowe, a former associate of his who also starred in the Netflix series. In response Ms Baskin sued Ms Schreibvogel, claiming it was an illegal attempt by her 57 year old son to prevent his creditors from seizing his assets.

Ms Schreibvogel is alleged to have admitted that the transfer of ownership was fraudulent. In Ms Baskin’s complaint to the court, it states “Schreibvogel later admitted under oath that the zoo land was transferred to her by Joe Maldonado to remove it from the reach of creditors, including BCR, should BCR win its Florida lawsuit.”

Mr Lowe now has 120 days to vacate the zoo's premises and take all of the animals with him. However, when contacted by TMZ for comment, he seemed unfazed, saying he had “long anticipated that the judge would eventually undo the 2016 land transfer. We are thankful that [the judge] dragged out his decision this long and allowed us time to complete the new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, behind the world’s largest casino.

“Considering [Carole] spent approximately $2.5m chasing her $1m judgment, we congratulate her on her new acquisition of 16 acres in rural Oklahoma.”

‘Tiger King’ has proved a smash-hit on Netflix, garnering viewership from over 64m households. Due to its popularity, CBS have announced a TV miniseries, in which Nicholas Cage will play Mr Maldonado-Passage.