Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness introduces viewers to joe Exotic and his zoo, which at one point was under real threat from a tornado – but why? Tiger King has been a huge hit since debuting on Netflix, largely thanks to the almost unbelievable exploits of Joe, Carole Baskin, and everyone else involved with big cats in the United States the documentary covers.
Joe Exotic’s zoo, Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, is found in Wynnewood, Oklahoma. Oklahoma, of course, is located in an area of the U.S. known as “Tornado Alley,” which also includes Texas, Kansas, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota. In the first of Tiger King‘s seven episodes, Joe Exotic is shown monitoring a large, dangerous tornado that’s following a path towards his zoo. In the footage, he says to the camera, “This is the thing you don’t want when you have tigers, folks. It’s a real life tornado, and there ain’t nothing you can do besides protect yourself.” It’s clear that a tornado poses a real threat to Joe’s zoo and the animals, but beyond the obvious dangers that always apply, it’s not fully explained why it’s the one thing you really don’t want when you have tigers specifically.
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A 2011 documentary called America’s Most Dangerous Pets, made by Louis Theroux for the BBC, which is not available in the U.S. due to rights issues, was being filmed at Joe Exotic’s zoo during this tornado scare. The animals were put on lockdown indoors instead of in outdoor enclosures. Joe mentions that there was a horse ranch across from his zoo, and if the tigers got out and to the ranch, a nightmarish scenario would play out with the tigers attacking the other animals. It’s important to note that a category 5 tornado (indicating winds of more than 200 miles per hour) had killed more than 150 people in Joplin, Missouri (a state that neighbors Oklahoma) the day before this happened. Because of this, the danger posed to Joe’s zoo – and those nearby – was very real.
So, Joe Exotic was right in Tiger King. If a tornado were to hit his zoo, the results could’ve been catastrophic. Whatever animals weren’t killed by the extreme weather, could have escaped to roam the area, bringing chaos and mayhem. They could’ve ended up attacking (and killing) other animals, potentially attacking humans, and likely ending up having to be killed themselves eventually.
Luckily, disaster was avoided, and the tornado did not touch down on the zoo. But the scene sheds light on how many not-so-obvious risks to the community that Joe Exotic and his animals brought forth in the name of making money. Roadside zoos hardly have a place anywhere, much less in Tornado Alley. Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness will hopefully make that all the more clear to people.
