Newark, N.J. native Shaquille O’Neal used the latest episode of his podcast, “The Big Podcast with Shaq,” to distance himself from Joe Exotic, the central figure in Netflix’s seven-part series “Tiger King.”
But that didn’t absolve O’Neal in the eyes of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals. TMZ reports PETA is calling for O’Neal to disassociate himself from Jeff Lowe, a zoo owner featured in the documentary.
First, some background. As we learned in “Tiger King," O’Neal visited Joe Exotic’s Oklahoma zoo in 2014. After that clip aired on Netflix, O’Neal distanced himself from the the gun-toting, mullet-wearing former country music singer, and the life he leads as a big cat collector, breeder and zoo keeper. Per NESN:
“So we go in there, and it’s a beautiful place, and the character that was there was Exotic Joe. We’re there and I dropped some donations for the tigers’ foods and all that. We take pictures with (the) tigers. We went back a couple times. Then we go back another time and we found out that he’s involved with all the stuff, and then, actually, I stopped going. ... I don’t harm tigers. I love tigers. I love white tigers. Do I put donations to these zoos to help these tigers out? I do it all the time. Do I own tigers personally at my house? No. But I love tigers. Listen, people are going to make their own opinions, but, again, I was just a visitor. I met this guy — not my friend. Don’t know him. Never had any business dealings with him, and I had no idea any of that stuff was going on.”
That brings us to Lowe, who bought Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park from Joe Exotic and reopened it in 2018. During “Tiger King,” a screenshot was featured which appeared to show a FaceTime call between Lowe and O’Neal. Per TMZ:
“One of the nicest guys in the World,” the G.W. Animal Park posted on Facebook on March 21 ... “Shaq facetime’d a few minutes ago to see how we were doing and if we need anything. We love you too buddy.”
As a result, PETA sent O’Neal a letter, discouraging the Hall of Famer from continuing a relationship with Lowe. Here are the contents of that letter, per TMZ:
"We saw your statement about not being as involved with Joe Exotic as the Tiger King documentary has made it seem. It appears that the equally problematic wild-animal exhibitor, Jeff Lowe, is now claiming to have your support.
"Given your disavowal of Joe, we were surprised when this photo was posted on Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park’s Facebook page last week, purportedly showing you communicating with Lowe via FaceTime and alleging that you offered him support.
"It’s clear you that you love tigers, and we hope you will disassociate yourself from people who profit from abusing, breeding, and exploiting them. Lowe is no different from Joe Exotic when it comes to harming animals.
"Lowe has a long history of violations of the federal Animal Welfare Act. He continues to tear baby big cats away from their mothers and forces them to interact with the public. There is still an active warrant for his arrest in Las Vegas relating to charges of holding exotic animals and operating a business without a license, following a failed big-cat cub petting venture in that city. And now, thanks to Tiger King, much of the world is knowledgable about the abuse that exhibitors like Lowe, Joe Exotic and Doc Antle are responsible for.
"Will you please make it clear right away that you don’t desire to have an ongoing relationship with Lowe? As long as he continues to use your name to support his abusive business, you will be tied to animal suffering. Instead, please help these tigers. Help us shut down these hellholes, move the animals to reputable sanctuaries, and keep them out of the hands of abusers.
As for Doc Antle, he’s the zookeeper in “Tiger King” that has been linked to former New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham. Per cleveland.com:
One of the people prominently featured (in the series) is Doc Antle, the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, who has a long list of celebrities who have visited his business. According to Antle’s Instagram page, among the famous visitors are Floyd Mayweather, Beyoncé and OBJ.
You may remember Beckham posted a video of himself petting a tiger and playing catch with a chimpanzee at Myrtle Beach Safari in January of 2019, when he still played for the Giants. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals used Beckham’s video as a chance to further its cause:
“These sensitive and much-abused animals belong with their families in nature, not pimped out as props by shameless roadside zoos. We’re sure that Odell Beckham Jr. had no idea that the sleazy safari park where this young chimpanzee is kept has a lengthy record of violating federal law and uses great apes and big-cat cubs in cheap publicity stunts like this. These encounters are incredibly dangerous, and PETA urges everyone -- including Beckham, who certainly doesn’t want another injury -- to steer clear of cruel facilities that exploit animals.”
WFAN reached out to Antle after Beckham posted his video:
Doc Antle, director of Myrtle Beach Safari, which provided the animals in the video, told WFAN.com that while the facility has been investigated for federal violations, it has never been cited for any violations. He added that the animals are well cared for and live in groups with other animals of the same species. “This is not a backyard zoo,” Antle said. “This is a really magnificent wonderful place.”
Mike Rosenstein may be reached at mrosenstein@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @rosenstein73. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
https://news.google.com/__i/rss/rd/articles/CBMib2h0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5qLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvMjAyMC8wNC9tb3JlLXRpZ2VyLWtpbmctcHJvYmxlbXMtZm9yLW5qcy1zaGFxdWlsbGUtb25lYWwtbGlua2VkLXRvLXpvby1oZWxsaG9sZXMuaHRtbNIBfmh0dHBzOi8vd3d3Lm5qLmNvbS9zcG9ydHMvMjAyMC8wNC9tb3JlLXRpZ2VyLWtpbmctcHJvYmxlbXMtZm9yLW5qcy1zaGFxdWlsbGUtb25lYWwtbGlua2VkLXRvLXpvby1oZWxsaG9sZXMuaHRtbD9vdXRwdXRUeXBlPWFtcA?oc=5
2020-04-01 20:44:52Z
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