Following the release of Netflix’s Tiger King, Animal Planet has announced documentary special surrounding Joe Exotic, according to The Hollywood Reporter. It will be titled Surviving Joe Exotic.
Tiger King was released to Netflix in 2020 and focuses on the Oklahoma zookeeper Joe Exotic and how he is accused of abusing and exploiting his animals by Carole Baskin, animal rights activist and the owner of Big Cat Rescue. Months after the release of this docu-series, Joe was sentenced to 17 charges of animal abuse and 2 counts of murder for hire for his attempts to kill Carole. Following his sentencing, Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue park received control over Joe’s zoo in ruling made at the beginning of June. However, the feud between Carole and Joe didn’t stop here; throughout the series, Joe was convinced that Carole had killed her “missing” husband and fed him to her tigers, leaving his wealth to his wife. However, more recent developments announced the discovery that the will of Carole’s husband was allegedly forged. While suspicions have led to individuals believing Carole had to do with the forgery, it was also announced that the statute of limitations have expired, therefore no criminal charges could be filed on anyone involved in the forgery of Carole’s late husband’s will.
Animal Planet has released their latest project, a documentary surrounding the G.W. Exotic Animal Park and the animals at the center of it, specifically those who found new homes after Joe lost possession of his zoo in the lawsuit. The film will feature one of Joe’s final interviews before his arrest as well as interviews with former employees of the Oklahoma zoo. Essentially, the aim of the documentary is to showcase how Joe’s animals have survived and overcome his alleged abuse, such as tigers Kryxis and Kadira, both of whom lost their vision under his care but eventually gained it back through surgery at the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in Indiana, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
This documentary will be executive produced by Keith Hoffman (Finding Bigfoot), while the supervising producer will be Sarah Russel (Treetop Cat Rescue). The documentary is set to air on July 25. The sneak peak can be watched below.