If there's one thing everybody talked about early on in the COVID-19 pandemic, it was Netflix's true crime documentary series, Tiger King. The show's a wild ride from start to finish, and while Joe Exotic, aka the Tiger King, is receiving viral attention for the antics that went on at his roadside zoo in Oklahoma, animal advocates argue it's not for the right reasons.

Many viewers were left wondering what happened to the big cats and other animals at the G.W. Zoo, now that Joe Exotic is in jail on murder-for-hire charges. Fortunately, there are groups out there who actually care about the well-being of animals and act on their behalf in situations like this one.

When the drama hit its peak at the notorious G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma, The Wild Animal Sanctuary in Keenesburg, Colorado stepped in to help. According to staff at the Wild Animal Sanctuary, they have ultimately been able to rescue 39 tigers and 3 bears from the facility, working in conjunction with PETA to get these animals into better living circumstances.

Nineteen of these tigers were brought to the Colorado sanctuary in November of 2017. At that time, these specific tigers were at the center of a federal lawsuit, which claimed cubs were being taken away from their mothers at just a few days old and forced to interact with the public. Besides facing abuse and exploitation, the lawsuit also cited inadequate cages that these tigers were housed in, which violated the federal Endangered Species Act. In addition to this, the animals had also been illegally sent to the G.W. Zoo from Florida. According to an article in The Oklahoman, PETA carried out an inspection of the tigers on November 11. A deal was reached that night, and a day later, the big cats were transferred to Colorado.

Now, instead of living out their lives in small cages with inadequate care, these tigers and bears will roam freely on hundreds of acres of land and receive the proper care that they require to survive.

TSM

You can read more about all of the animals at Colorado's Wild Animal Sanctuary, and their individual rescue stories here.