A lioness named Chobe was once rescued from America’s infamous Tiger King zoo, which belonged to scandalous tamer Joe Exotica. It was only recently that rescuers discovered that the lioness had abruptly stopped eating…
In 2018, lioness Chobe was rescued from the infamous Joe Exotica Zoo in Oklahoma, USA. The tamer kept big cats at his wildlife park called Tiger King, and was known for abusing his wards, for which he is now in jail for 22 years.
Chobe had been kept in the park for many years for breeding. It was rescued by animal welfare activists and has been living at WildCat Ridge Sanctuary since 2018. Not long ago, staff discovered that the lioness had abruptly stopped eating.
An ultrasound revealed that an infection had caused the lioness’s uterus to become inflamed. The Oregon State University veterinary team operated on Chobe to remove its ovaries and uterus. Fortunately, it was successful.
“It’s like sterilising a cat, but on a larger scale. The operation went remarkably well. We expect Chobe to recover quickly,” says vet Cathy Townsend.
In January 2019, an Oklahoma court sentenced a zoo owner, Joe Exotica, to 22 years in prison for falsifying documents to illegally sell tiger cubs, cruelty to animals, and attempted contract killing of animal rights activist Carol Baskin.
This year Netflix released the documentary Tiger King: Murder, Chaos and Madness, which has brought even more attention to the scandalous persona of Joe Exotica. Animal rights activists around the world are drawing attention to the story, urging people not to forget our little brothers.
