“They did not care about the truth.”
Carole Baskin has addressed new documentary Tiger King and its portrayal of her life and career.
The Big Cat Rescue owner and animal rights activist features in the new Netflix series, where she is accused of being involved in her husband’s disappearance and mistreating the animals in her care.
The documentary details the story of Joe Exotic, a former zoo owner, tiger breeder, and presidential candidate who is currently serving a 22 year prison sentence for murder for hire.
Baskin – who has an ongoing and long-running feud with Exotic – has since issued a statement saying that she was misled on what the film was supposed to be about.
“When the directors of the Netflix documentary Tiger King came to us five years ago they said they wanted to make the big cat version of Blackfish (the documentary that exposed abuse at SeaWorld) that would expose the misery caused by the rampant breeding of big cat cubs for cub petting exploitation and the awful life the cats lead in roadside zoos and back yards if they survive,” she said.
She went on:
“There are not words for how disappointing it is to see that the series not only does not do any of that, but has had the sole goal of being as salacious and sensational as possible to draw viewers.
“The series presents this without any regard for the truth or in most cases even giving me an opportunity before publication to rebut the absurd claims. They did not care about truth. The unsavoury lies are better for getting viewers.”
Baskin, who was accused by Joe Exotic of being involved in her ex husband Don’s disappearance and sending his remains through a meat grinder, claimed that her role in the situation was blown out of proportion.
She also said that she never threatened Don or had anything to do with his disappearance.
“In the few years preceding his disappearance Don’s behavior was gradually showing signs of mental deterioration,” she said.
“His behavior became increasingly strange. He started refusing to use the bathroom and defecating outside. He brought in a homeless man to stay in our house. I rescheduled an appointment for him to see the specialist Dr. Gold. But he disappeared before the appointment date.”
Baskin added that the meat grinder she had in her home was a “table top, hand cranked” one that would not have large enough to facilitate the disappearance of a body.
You can read Baskin’s statement in full here.
