People Who Have Actually Visited The Parks Featured In 'Tiger King' Share What They Were Like
Everybody is watching it. Everybody is talking about it. You can't escape it. The memes, the tweets, the mystery, the over the top drama. It's going to go down as a part of cultural history... I'm of course discussing "Tiger King" on Netflix. You just can't look away. And as it turns out, many of us have a small personal connection... because who hasn't visited a zoo?
Redditor u/AndTCGW wanted to know who has a personal experience when it comes to the locales in this docuseries craziness by asking....
not a thing......
Funny enough Caro;e Baskins big cat rescue is about 15min from me. I used to live right next to Nebraska Ave. Honestly I've never been to big cat rescue but trust me the crap you see in Tampa sometimes shades what others might consider "crazy stuff". So idk maybe some crazy crap was going down but that's just a typical day. P.S. no one simply takes a stroll down Nebraska Ave at night, not a thing. mrguitare
The Stench...
I went to the G.W. park in Oklahoma when I was maybe like... 11/12 on a school field trip. Honestly all I remember is how many animals there were. It was like... over kill. And Joe Exotic smelled... musky. He talked to the class about wildlife conservation and how PETA are terrorists. I got a stuffed tiger and an energy drink from the gift shop. It was a good day. BunnyBlushShop
"enrichment"
I went to BCR a couple years ago with my family. We spent a couple hours seeing different cats and made some "enrichment" toys for them. There were about 10 of us in the group, and 2 employees/volunteers who told us about the cats, and fed some with frozen meat popsicles (or something like that).
They had a checklist to make sure each cat was getting appropriate food. We were not allowed anywhere near the cats - there was a railing 10-15 feet in front of each habitat cage. The volunteers seemed to enjoy being there and seemed to love the cats we saw. I didn't get any bad vibes from the people. hyliston
Going to Jax.....
Not any of those places, but we do have a large cat "rescue" here in Jax. It's a very similar setup to what was seen in the doc. I didn't notice anything out of the ordinary, but now I'm wondering just what kind of crazy shit goes on behind the scenes. bohica1937
To the Zoo!
When I was a kid there was a "zoo" by our house. Never went there because it was never open, but you could hear lions from our deck. One time a kangaroo got out. I believe he also owned a "famous" reindeer that had been used in a Christmas movie. I don't remember much, I was really young.
Well, then one day the owner tried to hire a hitman to kill his ex wife and hired an informant instead and that was the end of that. He's in jail and it's an empty field. thebastardsagirl
Forget Carole....
I used to live near the BCR and almost applied for a "job" there, until I realized you didn't get paid and it was all volunteer based for like 12 hour days, yeah forget that. Carole Baskins is a crook lmao!! kdw97
I went to the one in Wynnewood,,,,,
Wow, finally a question I can answer?! I went to the one in Wynnewood probably close to 10 years ago now. I had gone camping with some friends the night before, and it was unseasonably cold, so I barely slept and was in a crappy mood and didn't want to go at all. I was skeptical of all the animals crammed into tiny cages and didn't really buy the whole rescue bullcrap.
The guide made some remark about how he'd rather be living in a cage than dead, and I was looking at the tiger in a tiny cage and thinking, damn, I'd rather be dead. They did have a baby white tiger you could pose with but I was too cheap and irritable to do it. IroniesOfPeace
Hey Tampa.....
I have been to BCR in Tampa. Though the cats were beautiful, I did not enjoy it. For the tour we were required to listen to pre-recorded info, mostly consisting of horrible stories of animal abuse. The guide was unenthusiastic. The whole vibe was depressing. At the end, they pressure visitors to make calls/emails about legislation. There's already a kiosk set up to do so. Not a fan. quarterinchseams
$15 for the win...
I visited the Great Cats World Park in Cave Junction, Ore. last summer. It's a good facility--lots of big cats, clean, everybody looks healthy and has plenty of room. No cub petting photo ops. No cubs on display at all, from what I recall.
OTOH, after watching the Netflix series, I wonder about their business model. The GW zoo couldn't make enough revenue off tourists wanting to see their mature cats, which is how they got locked into an overbreeding ponzi scheme. Feeding the grown cats required producing a steady stream of cubs for the high-dollar petting sessions.
So now I wonder: how is GCWP keeping all those grown tigers fed on $15 general admission tickets? Are they actually a cub mill? IDK. They do breed--the guide said that their endangered cats are all rotated through a species survival plan. But I'm suspicious that the breeding might have a profit motive, too. cortechthrowaway
holy crap look!
I am from Myrtle Beach and I've been to the themed animal parks there when I was like maybe 8 or 9 years old.
Funny story, I used to date a girl who lived right outside of Myrtle on the waterway. Well, one day we were hanging out and I noticed an elephant in the waterway and was like holy crap look! She brushed it off and said her neighbor had a bunch of exotic animals like tigers and stuff and they always took the elephant out there.
That neighbor was Doc Antel. mgtrypx
The Rescue.
I went to the GW park about 8 years ago. Had no indication of all the crazy stuff going on because they do such a good job of billing it as a rescue. Plus I have been telling everyone since they should go because I got to play with baby tigers which I now feel horrible about. thebluebeagal
All for $5 Bucks....
When I was 19, I was driving from New Jersey to Florida with some friends. We stopped at a department store on the way for supplies. There were these two rednecks in the parking lot with two ligers. one was passed out on a table, and one was in a really rinky-looking wire cage.
The rednecks let us pet the ligers and take our pictures for five bucks each.
At the time, I thought it was really weird, but I figured they must have been educated and trained to handle big cats, because not any idiot could just buy a tiger or lion or whatever.
Come to find out, any idiot can buy a lion or tiger or whatever.
What's Up Doc?
My friend went to Doc's zoo in Myrtle Beach and said it seems really nice, which isn't surprising. He said there were only a few cats there so he was shocked to hear how many Doc actually has there, and wondered where the rest of them were kept.
Not quite the same but I lived in Zanesville, Ohio when all those animals were released a few years back. Some of the schools shut down and everyone was pretty scared. My grandpa was actually friends with Terry Thompson, the guy who owned the animals and released them. From what my grandma says Terry seemed perfectly sane and cared for the animals a lot, so she's always wondered why he would release them.
Oh and Terry also committed suicide after releasing the animals. They skipped over that part in the show and imply he was arrested, but I'm pretty sure he died on his farm. Joe Exotic actually wrote a song about Terry, my grandma sent it to me on YouTube a few weeks back and that's when I first heard about Joe's crazy butt. BoneAppleSkeetMF
Miranda Style...
I've been to Myrtle Beach Safari. It comes across as a great place, and they do a skillful job convincing you that they're doing good things. Weirdly, one of the only things that really raised a red flag for me was the way the women were done up. A lot of short shorts and makeup. It felt kind of weird that there was this obvious attempt at sex appeal, like I was being sold something rather than participating in a wholesome venture.
I actually looked into applying for a job there anyway, because I was kind of at a rather directionless juncture in my life. I remember there were some weird requirements, like you needed to watch The Devil Wears Prada before applying. The only reason I didn't follow through was because I would've had to give up my own cat. Scoozie
Moving the Cat....
I've been to Doc Antle's place in Myrtle Beach - i got the same vibe there that I did when I did one of those dolphin photo ops in Mexico - slimy. It was very quick and depressing. They moved the cat every 2 seconds to accommodate for all the people and felt like maybe the cats were drugged? very lethargic and just plain sad. once i saw tiger king i knew that i was right with my vibes.
Apparently that place got raided recently. RunTheHomemadeJewels
Tim pops up....
I've been to the Wildlife in Need Park in southern Indiana. It was advertised as a wildlife reserve/educational type place, and basically was a trailer park full of exotic animals. It was so upsetting, and not at all okay. I wasn't surprised at all to see Tim Stark pop up on the show, he's been in loads of trouble in Indiana for animal cruelty and probably saw helping Jeff Lowe with the park in Oklahoma as his way out. hayeday
The 99%....
I haven't been to the ones featured in Tiger King but growing up there was one near me in California that had cub petting and other things.
It closed down in a spectacular (in the worst way) crapshow when the "rescue" and the owner's home were raided and they found dozens of dead lions and tigers buried in shallow graves, malnourished animals, and dead cubs stuffed into freezers.
I was pretty young and my guess is the animals they displayed for the public were the healthy ones because I don't remember them looking sick or malnourished, but my mom refused to ever go back after our single visit so she probably noticed things I didn't as a kid.
After that experience I just assume 99% of "rescues" and "zoos" that are not properly accredited are like that. CSUSBro
back in 2014....
I went to GW back in 2014 since I was stationed nearby. I do remember seeing Joe Exotic and thinking he was a weird dude. But as for the park, there was no indication to all the crazy stuff going on. I did think the monkey cages were pretty crappy and felt bad for them. I was too cheap to pet the cubs so at least I don't have to feel guilty about that and I'm glad I didn't eat anything from the Zoo! AmenToThat95
Off I-35....
Okie here....
A lot of my friends went to the GW Park and some even saw or met Joe. They all said basically the same things: the park was nice, there wasn't anything nutty outside of the fact there's wild animals, and Joe did not come across as crazy, but instead a conservationist who loved animals.
Something the doc doesn't really touch on is the location of the zoo, which is strategically located right off I-35 in between Dallas and Oklahoma City. soonerguy11
Dukes Away...
I want to plug an animal sanctuary type place that I got GOOD vibes from: the Duke Lemur Center in North Carolina. The tours are delightful and the lemurs seem to be having a good time. They're given free roaming time in a large forest, too. AggressiveExcitement
Do you have something to confess to George? Text "Secrets" or "" to +1 (310) 299-9390 to talk him about it.
It's highly believed that it is important to learn history as a means to improve our future.
What is often overlooked is that what is taught in history class is going to be very different depending on where you went to school.
And this isn't just internationally, even different regions of the United states will likely have very different lessons on American history.
This frequently results in our learning fascinating, heartbreaking and horrifying historical facts which our middle or high school history teachers neglected to teach us.
Redditor Acherontia_atropos91 was curious to learn things people either wished they had learned, or believe they should have learned, in their school history class, leading them to ask:
What isn’t taught in history class but should be?
The Irish Troubles
"The troubles."
"Too many people in America do not understand why a wall straight through Ireland would be a BAD idea."
"I’m referring to the Brexit referendum and possible outcomes."
"If people were wondering why we were talking about walls through Ireland in the first place."- CLCVS.
Forgotten elements of World War II
"What the Japanese did to the Chinese during WW2."
"Unit 731."- CaptainMcBoogerJew.
"Japan gets off easy for their war crimes in WW2."
"They killed an estimated 16mil Chinese civilians and another 8mil soldiers"
"Also, Pol Pot."
"Didn't know who he was until I was like 25."
"Worst dictator all time (in terms of percentage of population he decimated)".
The truth about the American Revolution
"That the American Revolution was part of a wider cold war type of conflict with France."
"The American Revolution was basically the UK's equivalent of the US version of Vietnam."- vinsant7.
The Dark side of Swedish history.
"As a Swede, I'd like to know more of all the horrible sh*t my country has done throughout history."
"It's a damn shame we're trying to hide our history."
"For example, Swedes killed a metric sh*t ton of all Polish people when we were at our strongest."
"That's the kinda sh*t we don't get to learn."- mogwandayy.
Colonization
"Basically what Belgium did to the Congo."
"A lot of people are telling me that they are taught about this actually."
"I'm glad to hear it because I wasn't taught about this in the USA during my public school days (1995-2008)."- EconArch.
The truth about "heroes".
"While teaching about historical Heroes they should also tell students about the unspeakable things some of them did."
"Many famous figures throughout history who are pillars of morality actually did many terrible things." - User Deleted
Intolerance for Mental Illness
"The dark history of mental illness treatments."
"I think it's worth learning about."- 7dayexcerpt.
Slavic Mythology
"Slavic mythology in Slavic countries."
"Don't get me wrong, I love both Greek & Roman mythology and as a person from the Balkans both of those cultures are part of my country's history and had great influence over not only my region but the entirety of the continent & the western world but I wouldn't mind knowing more about Slavic mythology as well."- ShorsShezzarine.
The truth about the CIA
"How the CIA was made and all the shady things they did over the years."- ALargeChip.
There is a lot about the history of our world, not to mention our own country which shouldn't be ignored.
And it's from learning from our mistakes that we really improve our future.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny, or heartbreaking moment again.
So apparently we are in the endemic phase of this nonsense.
We have light at the end of the tunnel.
So what now?
Where do we go from here?
Normal seems like an outdated word.
How do we get back to normal though?
Is it even possible?
What are reaching back to?
Life pre-Covid.
Those were the days.
If only we could bring them back.
Redditor hetravelingsong wanted to discuss our new normal in this hopeful "endemic" phase. So they asked:
"What’s something random you miss about pre-COVID times?"
I miss people being sane. Though that maybe election cycle issues not COVID. We'll never know.
I thought I was Alone...
"Being able to grocery shop after 11 pm."
Reading_Rainboner
"Hell yes. I miss the days where the Walmart across the street was open 24 hours."
Small_Tax_9432
let's just go...
"I miss spontaneity... everything now seems to have a barrier of difficulty."
iidosee
"I live very close to Disneyland so I have an annual pass. My friends and I would just go there after work and hang out and grab a bite to eat."
"Now, we have to reserve a day to go. And most of the time, the days are at 'full' capacity so we couldn't even reserve. I don't want to schedule to hang out at Disneyland for a couple hours for July. So yeah, I definitely miss the 'lets go eat at Disneyland tonight?' texts."
mymymissmai
Not til 24-25
"Functioning global supply chains. Ah, the product you want has got microchips in it? 9 month wait."
richard-king
"Minimum, I'd been saying for a while now that I wouldn't expect a true return to normalcy in terms of electronics prices till 2024-2025. Although Crypto crashing through the floor really took some of the pressure off graphics cards which I really appreciate."
statiiic
WTF?!?!
"How affordable everything was!"
Disastrous_Hour_6776
"Yep. Today I was bagging up my things at the grocery store and I heard the cashier say to the lady behind me 'thats $78.12.' She had -- 2 boxes of Kellogg's corn flakes, a carton of 12 eggs, milk, strawberries, raspberries, blue berries, a small cheese cake, English muffins, coffee, and a small whole frozen chicken that could maybe feed 3 people if the meat portioning was small."
SnowyInuk
Sushi
"My favorite sushi place. It was good quality, close by, kid-friendly, and not too expensive."
InannasPocket
All of this... it was a simpler time.
NASTY
"As a retail worker, just how f**king NASTY some people have gotten."
DmitriPetrov*itch
"They applauded you for being an essential worker but won’t vote for policies that’ll raise minimum wage while insisting a wage cap for heavily paid employees."
sketchysketchist
CHANGES your DNA...
"Some of the people closest to me became very bitter and petty over the last 2 years. So many people have the 'crazy eyes' now."
__--__7
"So true and holidays with the family is like who has the biggest tinfoil hat building contest. How many jumps does your brain have to go through to think that the Covid vaccine CHANGES your DNA into the patented DNA so that the government now controls your body."
"So like vaccinated people now have a singular DNA set. I feel like I still have a chunk of my brain just broken off due to that comment alone. I was also told by same family member that I could never donate blood again due to the vaccine. I guess it is so my patented DNA doesn't affect people?? FYI my vaccinated butt just donated today fine and multiple other times after the vaccine."
tyreka13
Homeward Bound
"House prices."
adrianinked
"I'm resigned to never thinking I have a chance on owning property where I live. I'm 30 and just can't imagine it anymore. And I don't want to live anywhere else so, whatever."
Osdab2daf
"That didn’t happen because of the pandemic. That was already happening regardless."
CH11DW
Oh Mickey
"All Day Breakfast at McDonalds."
hutch2522
"It was honestly hell to do, and not very popular. ITs margins aren't anywhere dinner and lunch specials. ON top of that, the temperatures are such that They require its own grill, meaning that if you have 2 grills in shop, you are down 50% of lunch capacity."
Freyas_Follower
Way back when...
"Hanging out with friends. And I mean waaaaaay before Covid. Like 2006 back when I had some friends."
LoocsinatasYT
I miss the old days. Maybe we'll get back there.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
What do you believe?
Is there a GOD in the sky?
Is he guiding us and helping us?
Life is really hard. Why is that is a big entity is up there loving us?
Atheists have taken a lot of heat for what feels like shunning GOD.
What if they've been right all along?
Maybe let's take a listen and see what they really think.
Redditor __Jacob______ wanted to hear from the people who don't really believe all that "God" stuff. They asked:
"Atheists, what do you believe in?"
I'm waffling between G-O-D and nothing. So please give me some education.
911
"We need to look out for each other because help isn't coming."
cknipe
Peace Out
"More than 2 decades ago, a priest was giving a sermon in my church and he said 'our faith requires you to believe without question. Why call it faith if you have to ask questions?' I haven't returned to church. Not until my wedding day but you know what I mean."
asiangontear
Delusion
"When I was young I used to think that after death you would have access to a PC that you could see absolutely anything about your life. Stats, any question you had no matter how obscure, replays of moments, perspectives of others in relation to you. No matter what you wanted to know, if it was relatable to you, you could see it. I know it's silly, but as time goes on I just want it to be real, and I don't think I'd have any issue allowing myself to fall into that delusion."
eggwardpenisglands
I think nothing happens...
"Realistically, I think nothing happens. We literally experience nothing after death. Same thing that we experience before birth. We don't exist, so it's nothing. I think the tenant that we should follow while living is to try to be happy and healthy while minimizing the damage we do to each other."
"What I would LIKE to happen after death is whatever you believe in, exists. I think Christians should get to go to heaven if they truly believe in it, Hindus and Buddhists get reincarnated, and everyone else also gets to experience what they believe they will experience."
"'I would still experience Nothing. Maybe it's one of those things where at the moment of death their brain makes them experience what feels like an infinitely long moment in time where they experience their afterlife. I just think it would be neat for everybody."
Better_Meat_
Shrug
"Best advice I received from a dear senior on their way out. 'You win some, you lose some' shrug. Nothing divine, life is that simple and wonderful, accept it and move on."
Tune_Kindly
It all sounds pretty simple. Why are people so up in arms about Atheists?
Whatever
"I believe in a universe that doesn't care, and people that do."
imCIK
Cool with Empty
"Nothing. [Serious]."
rumblingtummy29
"I feel this way about death. When I was 5, my grandfather died and my cousin simple said, he is dead, that means you are gone forever. Everything ends up dying, even plants and animals. I'm now in my 40's and still have this simplistic view of life and death. People think I'm ambivalent to life and death but it's just what it is."
thepigfish82
puppet-masters...
"I think a lot of religious people struggle with the fact that we are all just swirling units of chaos. There is no grand plan or great orchestrator. I think that’s why people who are prone to religion are also susceptible to things like Q anon and the Cabal and all that. They REALLY want to believe that there is some almighty puppet-master who determines all of humanity’s fate."
Lngtmelrker
“we’re living in a society!”
"Just be a kind and empathetic person not because you’re worried about some cosmic justice, but because it’s the right thing to do. If there is some being that created us there’s no way they actually care about believing in it or adhering to some rules from over 2000 years ago."
"Also a big thing for me is that I find the idea that you need religion or the Bible in order to have morals and ethics pretty dumb. It’s pretty f**king clear that most evangelicals have neither. But my main thing is being a good person simply because, as George Costanza once said we’re living in a society!' If you’re only a good person in order to make it to heaven you probably aren’t actually a good and moral person."
conservative_genius
That's All
"You're born. You live. You die. That's it. After you die you cease to exist, the same as before you were born."
serefina
Believe what you want. We're all here together. So let's focus there.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.
The list of what irritates me is endless.
I mean... breathing too loud or dust can set me off.
I'm a bit unstable, yes.
But I'm not alone.
So let's discuss.
Redditor Aburntbagel6 wanted to hear about all the times many of us just couldn't control our disdain. They asked:
"What never fails to piss you off?"
I feel like this article can go on forever. Let's get some highlights.
Wasted Time
"Meetings that could and should have been an email."
Sirena609
Lotto People
"Getting stuck behind people playing the lottery at a corner store."
thenuggetlover
"I also used to work in a gas station and you’re SO right. I f**king hated the lottery people. Especially since my store had a small staff and there was usually only one of us working at a time, which meant that I couldn’t get any of my other work done as long as they were there."
"And you’re right, it’s also pretty sad to watch. I had one lady who used to come in every day and spent hundreds and HUNDREDS of dollars on scratch tickets. One day, she won $200 after spending probably around $600 and she was so excited and saying she can 'finally pay her bills.'"
i-am-your-god-now
Aware...
"No situational awareness. Job, home, shopping, driving. Think for one minute and go about. OBSERVE!!"
Dizzy-Foundation8122
"My mom is one of those people who leave the shopping cart in the middle of the damn aisle and proceed to walk twenty feet away. After correcting her a million times to no effect I just walk away now so people don’t know I’m with her."
OutrageousEvent
Shut Up!
"Endless barking in the middle of the night, I love animals but that sh*t I can't stand."
Acceptable-Lemon2924
"Endless barking in general drives me up a wall. One of my friends dogs was barking almost an entire gaming session the other day. I wanted to reach through the computer and smack him for letting it go on."
bangersnmash13
Kindness
"People being mean to service workers, especially if the workers are very young."'
scaryboilednoodles
All of these things. I hate them all.
Admit It
"People who never accept fault when they mess something up. Like, why blame a million people when it was clearly you who did it???"
Quirky-Area-8978
From Above
"My upstairs neighbors."
lutzow89
"I had terrible neighbors at my previous apartment. It was a one person studio for students, but her boyfriend was clearly living with her illegally and he was loud."
"One night we knocked n the door at 3 AM because of the loud music and an unknown girl opened the door. I just thought they were having a little party. But the next door I saw the girl living there come home with a suitcase after having been away for the weekend... Her BF was cheating on her in her own apartment."
Th3_Accountant
Move Away
"People who sit directly next to me at the airport, movie theater, any other place where you can choose a seat when there is PLENTY of other seating."
BacardiPardy33
"I can’t YES this enough and the ones who can’t park for crap so they park so close you can’t open doors on one side of the car or the ones who park directly behind when you pulled through so the door won’t open to load groceries."
BacardiPardy33
It's Over
"People who try to restart old drama. Like I'm done with you, just leave me alone."
Tired_Potatos
"Yep, half the reason I've basically quit playing one of my favorite online video games. People keep bringing old crap up or sh*tting on on someone who used to be our friend. I got tired of it so I just ejected the game out of me."
CaucasianHumus
AHHHHH!!!
"People walking too slow in front of me with no way to get around them. It’s even worse if it’s a couple or group taking up the whole sidewalk. HAVE SOME SPATIAL AWARENESS FOR THE LOVE OF GOD!!"
_-v0x-_
Life in general pisses me off. I'm easy.
Want to "know" more?
Sign up for the Knowable newsletter here.
Never miss another big, odd, funny or heartbreaking moment again.