The Story Behind Tiger King, Netflix's Most Popular Series Today

Joe Exotic (Netflix)

JAKARTA - Just airing on March 20, the series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness became the talk of Netflix. The reason is, this series presents the true story of Joseph Maldonado-Passage or known as Joe Exotic, owner of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park who is a connected big cat collector in the United States and becomes a murder suspect. This collector is not only famous for his pets but also for his eccentric style.

Joe Exotic's journey as an accomplished collector began with buying a pet shop in Texas in 1989 with his younger brother, Garold Wayne. A zoo he created as a dedication to his beloved sister who died a few years later. The zoo, which is named Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park, breeds animals to develop a population of tiger cubs. He takes his exotic animals on tours and provides photo sessions with his pets.

This is a serial conflict that revolves around Joe Exotic's debate with Carole Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue. The two of them accuse each other of being related to the program and the conditions of the zoo.

The two's brawl escalated when Carole Baskin protested to Joe Exotic over a pantera show with a petting cub service under the Big Cat Rescue logo brand. Exotic did this as a form of protest against Baskin because he thought the woman was only looking for profit from opening the sanctuary rather than protecting animals. Reporting from TIME, Tuesday, March 31, Exotic changed the name of its zoo to Baskin Company to trick Baskin fans. Baskin sued for trademark infringement and won millions of US dollars against Joe Exotic.

Their feud is not only based on this, but both of them try to drop things related to each other's personal lives. Carole Baskin's husband, Don Lewis, was reported missing which Lewis was later found at an airport close to Baskin's animal sanctuary. Reporting from Cheatsheet, before disappearing, Lewis filed a court case against Baskin's violence and claimed he threatened to shoot her husband.

After going bankrupt because of being sued by Carole Baskin, Joe Exotic transferred ownership of the GW zoo to Jeff Lowe. Exotic had tried a political path by running for president in 2015 and governor in Oklahoma in 2018.

Joe Exotic was found guilty in 2019 of 21 cases including the attempted murder of Carole Baskin and the killing of several tigers. He got 22 years in prison and through the Tiger King series he hopes people can share the series with his lawyers as "help" to release Exotic from prison.

On the other hand, Carole Baskin, who is still alive, regrets that Netflix portrays Baskin in the series. Baskin appreciated the production house's intention to expose the injustice to pantera beasts but after seeing the results, it was far from the documentary depicted. Baskin also regretted that Netflix chose to be sensational by telling of the disappearance of Don Lewis, Baskin's ex-husband.

Tiger King is a spectacle that shows a different side of life and the dark competition behind the beautiful zoos of the United States. Consisting of seven episodes, Tiger King has become the most watched series on Netflix since its release.