Judge Gives Carole Baskin the Tiger King’s Zoo
For years, Carole Baskin railed against the roadside zoo that was run by Joseph Maldonado-Passage, describing it as cruel and exploitative of the big cats that were kept there.
That part of the story is well known to the millions of viewers of “Tiger King,” the Netflix series about the conflict between Ms. Baskin, an animal-rights activist, and Mr. Maldonado-Passage, also known as Joe Exotic, the flamboyant owner of a lion and tiger zoo in Wynnewood, Okla.
Tensions grew so taut between them that, in 2019, Mr. Maldonado-Passage was convicted of trying to have Ms. Baskin killed.
On Monday, a federal court judge in Oklahoma added another chapter to the tale when he ruled that Ms. Baskin’s organization, Big Cat Rescue Corporation, could take over the 16.4-acre property in Wynnewood, once known as G.W. Exotic.