Entertainment
Tiger King star Jeff Lowe ‘has animals seized by law enforcement’ as he claims ‘constitutional rights are being violated’
Tiger King star Jeff Lowe has reportedly had animals at his Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma taken away by law enforcement, as he claims his ‘constitutional rights’ are being ‘violated’.
According to Jeff, a search and seizure warrant was carried out at the zoo on Thursday morning.
It’s said that the officers’ warrant stipulated that they were taking away animals from the property that were protected by the Endangered Species Act, which is understood to have been issued by a federal judge in the Eastern District of Oklahoma.
In videos reputedly captured by Jeff during the enactment of the warrant, officers can be seen transporting a liliger in a cage, an animal born from a male lion and a female liger.
In one of the clips obtained by TMZ, Jeff can be heard stating that a liliger is supposedly not protected under the Endangered Species Act.
Jeff’s wife, Lauren, says off-camera in the footage that the hybrid animals at the zoo are being taken away, expressing her belief that they’re going to be spayed and neutered.
One video shows a police officer seemingly speaking to Jeff off-camera, who tells the officer: ‘You’re violating my constitutional rights.’
In a statement sent to the publication, Jeff said: ‘This is why Lauren and I are moving overseas to take over an animal refuge there.
‘Tiger King made the USDA look so incompetent that they have a vendetta against everyone that was featured on the show.’
Love County Sheriff William Grisham told TMZ that the warrant was for eight big cats, although he understands that only four were taken.
However, Jeff reportedly said that six big cats were taken away.
In August last year, the Tiger King zoo was permanently closed, with Jeff forfeiting his license.
In a Facebook post, he wrote: ‘The Tiger King phenomenon has definitely changed our lives in many ways. It has brought us more attention than any human deserves, good and bad. It has, and probably will continue to make us a target of every nutjob and animal rights loon in the World, but we are prepared.
He added that future Tiger King projects would be filmed in the park, stating: ‘Our new park will, at least for the foreseeable future, be a private film set for Tiger King related television content for cable and streaming services.’
Metro.co.uk has contacted Jeff Lowe’s representatives for comment.
Tiger King is available to watch on Netflix.
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