Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness  - the shocking documentary that’s a runaway Netflix hit

Warning:

This article may contain graphic and/or adult content unsuitable for minors and sensitive readers.

It’s taken a globally quarantined audience by storm and become the most-watched and talked about series on Netflix since airing on the 20^th March. And despite his incarceration, it’s turned Joe Exotic into a household name, just what his out of control ego was looking for.

It’s a jaw-dropping series that is as disturbing as it is entertaining – you can’t make this kind of stuff up. If you’ve seen it, and you probably have, you will know what I am talking about.

If you haven’t seen it yet, here’s the storyline in brief: The true-crime docuseries centres on the story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka “Joe Exotic,” a former Oklahoma tiger-zoo owner who’s serving a 22-year prison sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot to kill his rival and fellow big cat owner Carole Baskin.

Here’s a look at some of the most interesting things to have gone down since Tiger King aired.  

Celebrities such as Cardi B and Kim Kardashian have been raving about the series on social media with Cardi B going so far as to say she wants to start a GoFundMe Campaign for Joe Exotic. She wrote on Twitter, “Bout to start a GoFundMe account for Joe. He shall be free.”

A fan going by the name of Deli Rat has started a petition to have Joe Exotic freed opening his plea by saying, “Dear President Trump, We the people are writing you today, to consider the fate of a fellow patriot.  A man, who through nothing but collusion and dirty tricks, has been thrown into a cage against his will.  A man, who brought joy to communities, hope to the downtrodden, and goodwill towards all the beautiful creatures of this Earth.” Deli Rat has clearly missed the animal rights message highlighted by the series.

The documentary also red-flagged the unsolved case of Carol Baskin’s second husband Don Lewis who mysteriously disappeared in 1997 after filing a restraining order against Baskin. Exotic believes Baskin murdered him and often suggests this to be the case many times in the series. Baskin was never a suspect and continues to deny the allegations, the series leaves her guilt or innocence entirely up to the viewer’s interpretation.

Florida Sherriff Chad Chronister is now looking for new leads in the case writing on Twitter  “Since @netflix and #Covid19 #Quarantine has made #TigerKing all the rage, I figured it was a good time to ask for new leads.” He posted this picture with his tweet.

Meanwhile Joe Exotic has filed a federal lawsuit seeking nearly $94 million in damages, claiming among other things that he was convicted based on false and perjured testimony. There has been no comment from his lawyers.

And according to Zoo owner Jeff Lowe, who acquired Joe Exotic’s zoo in Wynnewood, Okla, before the two men had a falling out, there is apparently a new episode on the way.

He made the announcement in a post on Twitter saying, “Netflix is adding one more episode. It will be on next week. We’re filming here tomorrow.”

The clip was filmed by none other than Los Angeles Dodgers third baseman Justin Turner and posted on his Twitter account.

So our friend @christie_dish listened to the podcast, @HoldingKourt and after last weeks episode decided to send us this!!!

????BREAKING NEWS FOLKS????

There will be 1 more episode of #TigerKing on@Netflix pic.twitter.com/YeRSIlDKTJ

— Justin Turner (@redturn2) April 4, 2020

Meanwhile, PETA and other animal-rights activists, say the documentary did not do enough to expose the cruelty inherent in captive tiger breeding and roadside zoos but chose to focus only on the feud between Exotic and Baskin.

Kate Dylewsky, an animal-welfare activist and the senior policy adviser for the Animal Welfare Institute, has been working with Carol Baskin for years to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act. The act would make it illegal to own  ‘exotic’ animals such as lions and tigers - it has still not been passed.

Exotic, real name, Joe Maldonado-Passage is currently housed at the Federal Medical Centre, he is enjoying his newfound fame and is extremely active on Facebook – his posts are as rant filled, crude and as expletive-laden as ever. He is serving a 22-year federal prison sentence for two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Let’s hope that social media does not make a hero out of Joe Exotic. That being said, his first Instagram post since the series aired seems to show that he has had a change of heart, whether or not it is for personal gain remains to be seen. He wrote: "At 2 million followers the tiger will be let out of the cage and the games will begin."

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A post shared by Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) on Apr 3, 2020 at 1:21pm PDT