PETA Statement: DOJ to Confiscate Cubs From Jeff Lowe of ‘Tiger King’

For Immediate Release:
January 19, 2021

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

The United States District Court for the Eastern District of Oklahoma has granted the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) a preliminary injunction in its litigation against notorious animal exhibitor Jeff Lowe; his wife, Lauren Lowe; and two businesses associated with the Lowes. Among other relief granted by the court, the DOJ may now immediately transfer all tigers, lions, and tiger/lion hybrids who are 1 year old or younger, along with their mothers, from the Lowes to reputable facilities.

The decision cites PETA’s recent federal court victories against Jeff Lowe, Tim Stark, and Wildlife in Need in the Southern District of Indiana as helping to establish that the animals in this case are protected by the Endangered Species Act.

The DOJ—whose continuing lawsuit seeks, among other relief, for the court to order the Lowes to relinquish all endangered and threatened species in their possession—sought this extraordinary measure following the recent euthanasia of a tiger cub as a result of metabolic bone disease, a completely preventable condition caused by nutritionally deficient diets that often results in bone fractures, as in this instance. The condition can be reversible, and the DOJ’s experts believe that this cub’s condition could have been reversed with appropriate nutrition and veterinary care. Court filings also reveal the avoidable deaths of multiple other protected animals who were recently in the Lowes’ custody.

Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet, who appeared in Tiger King:

More than one tiger cub has already wasted away from neglect at this exploiter’s hands, so these surviving cubs’ move to reputable facilities can’t come soon enough. The DOJ has taken a critically important step to secure the cubs’ survival, and PETA will continue to pursue its own litigation against the Lowes until they’re out of the animal exploitation business altogether.

At least two other cubs from the Lowes’ facility have also been documented with presumed metabolic bone disease. The only survivor was Nala, who could barely take a few steps without falling over when she was rescued by PETA and The Wild Animal Sanctuary several months ago. Veterinarians soon discovered that she had several fractures—but thanks to the sanctuary’s expert veterinary care and nutrition program, Nala romps and plays with other young lions and is recovering well from her ordeal.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.