A North Carolina big cat sanctuary will temporarily care for four animals seized from the private zoo in Oklahoma featured in Netflix’s “Tiger King.”

Carolina Tiger Rescue said in a statement Tuesday that it worked with the U.S. Department of Justice and other accredited animal sanctuaries to rescue 68 big cats from Tiger King Park. The tigers will stay at the Pittsboro sanctuary until the DOJ finds them permanent homes.

“We are glad to see the Department of Justice working hard to better the lives of big cats in captivity, beginning with Tiger King Park,” Pam Fulk, executive director of Carolina Tiger Rescue, said in the statement. “We thank everyone who was involved in this operation.”

The beginnings of the Oklahoma zoo owned by Jeff and Lauren Lowe were the subject of the final episode of the true-crime series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.”

As part of a court-approved agreement to resolve a federal complaint against the couple over the animals’ care, the DOJ announced May 20 that federally protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar would be removed from their park.

The Oklahoman reported Sunday that the last of the animals had been rescued from the zoo, located a few miles north of Oklahoma’s border with Texas.

The civil complaint, filed in November, accused the Lowes of recurring inhumane treatment and improper handling of animals protected by the Endangered Species Act.

Jeff Lowe was a central figure in “Tiger King,” which featured a mullet-wearing zookeeper named Joe Exotic and became a cultural phenomenon last year.

Joe Exotic, a pseudonym for Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison in Texas for his 2020 conviction on charges that he participated in a murder-for-hire plot and violated federal wildlife laws.

 

Photo via the Chatham News + Record.

 

Related Stories
‹
Local Government Meetings: September 28-October 2, 2026
This week in local government: Tongde Wu officially takes her oath of office as the newest member of the CHCCS school board.
The Morning News: Chatham Vs. Enbridge, 53 CHCCS Applications, UNC Falling
In today's news: Chatham County Commissioners take a stand against the proposed Enbridge natural gas pipeline.
The Morning News: Pittsboro Town Hall, Carrboro Police Chief Retires, UNC Football Arrest
In today's news: Carrboro's police chief is retiring, and a UNC football player is arrested (and another is cited) in a traffic stop Tuesday.
Pittsboro Town Hall Design Draws Criticism for Exterior, Praise for Sustainable Features
The Town of Pittsboro’s future town hall project took its latest step on Monday night, as the Board of Commissioners reviewed the first renderings of the facility.
Chatham County Roundup: Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp Recaps Meeting
Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp spoke with 97. 9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, September 15, discussing town news and events. He recapped the recent board of commissioners meeting, which included an economic development update, an annual update on Chatham Park, discussion of the Downtown Master Plan, and more. The board also received a presentation on the new Town Hall renderings as they continue the process of building a new government center for the town. 
The Evening News: Chapel Hill Vehicle Break-Ins, UNC Football
In today's news: Chapel Hill police warn residents to secure their vehicles after a string of 60 break-ins over the weekend.
Pittsboro Power Outage Affects More than 2,500 Duke Energy Customers
UPDATE: As of 4:45 p.m., most Duke Energy customers’ power has been restored, according to its outage map. Hundreds of Pittsboro and northeast Chatham County residents are without power on Monday afternoon. Duke Energy sent out alerts to customers impacted by the outage and its Outage Map said as of 3:45 p.m., roughly 2,550 customers […]
Local Government Meetings: September 14-18, 2026
This week in local government: a greenway network in Chapel Hill, and busing concerns and elementary school redistricting for CHCCS.
Chatham County Sheriff's Office Rescues Raleigh Man Missing Since Monday
The Chatham County Sheriff’s Office says it located a missing Raleigh man Thursday morning. Preston Scott Hill, 35, was found injured in the Haw River near Pittsboro, “in an area of difficult terrain,” according to a release. A helicopter was used to access Hill’s location, and he was then transported to UNC Hospitals in Chapel […]
Chatham County Roundup: Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp on PBO Businesses, Upcoming Board Meeting
Pittsboro Mayor Kyle Shipp spoke with 97.9 The Hill's Andrew Stuckey on Tuesday, September 8, discussing town news and events. He discussed local businesses in Pittsboro, with some turnover at a prominent downtown location and the recent purchase of Chatham Mills. He also previewed next week's Pittsboro Board of Commissioners meeting, and more.
›