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A judge has ruled that Jeff and Lauren Lowe of the now defunct Tiger King Park must pay Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue $24,735.62 for damages related to the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (GWEAP) in Wynnewood, OK.
In June 2020 a judge awarded the Wynnewood property, formerly owned by Joe Exotic (Joseph Maldonado-Passage), to Baskin. Jeff, his wife Lauren and their infant daughter, who were living on the property, were given 120 days to remove all of their animals and vacate the property.
In late September the Lowes moved their animals to a new location in Thackerville, near the Oklahoma/Texas border, which they named Tiger King Park. They left behind three tigers, two bears and 11 wolves that were rescued by the Wild Animal Sanctuary in Colorado.
Before leaving the Wynnewood property to Baskin, the Lowes reportedly trashed it.
Photos shared by Baskin on social media show spray painted graffiti all over the property.
Reports indicate mounds of trash, burn piles, packages of rotten meat, an abandoned box truck and numerous other items were left behind by the Lowes.
Baskin incurred $12,171.14 in fees related to cleaning up the property and repairing the damage from the Lowes, according to court documents.
The Lowes also tried to stick Baskin with an unpaid water bill in the amount of $3,871.15.
Baskin took the Lowes to court for property damage and unpaid bills. She also asked a judge to award her $85,000 which she said the Lowes removed from the GWEAP bank account in 2018 to circumvent the judgement she had against them.
The Thackerville location of Tiger King Park has now been shut down and all of the Lowe's animals have been permanently removed from the property and placed at accredited facilities.
Yesterday, a judge partially granted Baskin’s requests and ordered the Lowes to pay $16,042.29 to cover damages and the unpaid water bill for GWEAP. The Lowes were further ordered to pay Baskin’s legal fees in the amount of $8,693.33.
The judge declined to award Baskin the $85,000 in sanctions she was requesting because she failed to show that she sustained $85,000 in losses as a result of the Lowe’s noncompliance, court documents indicate.
The judge ruled that the Lowes are in contempt of Court and he ordered them to pay Baskin a total of $24,735.62 within 30 days. If the Lowes fail to pay Baskin within 30 days, court records indicate they will face additional sanctions for contempt.
Court ruling: