Joe Exotic and Jeff Lowe respond to Carole Baskin gaining control of the 'Tiger King' zoo: 'Without our efforts, it is well known that Carole would no longer be here'

• The team of Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, has released a statement regarding Carole Baskin's acquisition of his former zoo.
• Exotic's team said that they wanted to "address Carole Baskin's treachery before it goes unchecked."
• In a statement sent to Insider, Jeff Lowe — the current owner of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park — said he believes Baskin has a "desire to exact revenge against Joe Exotic," and that it "trumps the livelihood of the families that came together to save her life."
• Baskin previously told Insider in a statement that Big Cat Rescue is prepared to take any animals that Lowe is not able to relocate before leaving the zoo property.
• The statement also referenced the Black Lives Matter protests and the death of George Floyd, saying that Exotic's "whole team prays for justice for George Floyd's family as well as an end to systemic racism in America," before changing course to discuss Baskin's ownership of his old zoo.

"Tiger King" stars Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, have responded to a Monday court ruling that awarded Carole Baskin with the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park.

Lowe is the most recent owner of the zoo, which was formerly owned and operated by Exotic. Exotic is widely known for his years-long dispute with Baskin, an animal activist who heavily criticized him for breeding big cats and allowing zoo visitors to interact with them. Much of their dispute was documented in the hit Netflix's docuseries.

In a statement emailed to Insider on Thursday, Lowe acknowledged that he's not named in the lawsuit that awarded Baskin the zoo, numerous vehicles, and cabins on the property. Still, he took credit for being one of the people that he says "came together to save her life." Exotic is now serving time in prison after being convicted of plotting Baskin's murder.

"Although I am not personally named in the lawsuit, it appears that Carole Baskin and her desire to exact revenge against Joe Exotic trumps the livelihood of the families that came together to save her life," Lowe said in his statement. "Without our efforts, it is well known that Carole would no longer be here."

"We anticipated Carole Baskin gaining title to the former park that once belonged to Joe Exotic many years ago," he continued. "It is my understanding that she will also be taking the cages from the zoo, which thankfully means that the animals that she has will finally have the proper amount of space to move around."

In an Insider piece about how Baskin and Big Cat Rescue were depicted in "Tiger King," Maddie Stone argued that shots of the sanctuary's animal enclosures were misleading. In reality, Stone wrote, most of the sanctuary's habitats are larger than 1,200 square feet, and live webcams show that the cats have access to "shaded areas with trees, open-air play yards, and a lake."

Representatives for Netflix, and "Tiger King" directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin, did not respond to Insider's previous requests for comment when asked about this criticism of the series.

"Please don't worry about our animals," Lowe said in the statement. "As you saw on the Netflix documentary, I have been building the greatest Tiger Park the world has ever seen. Thanks to our loyal fans and customers, and the amazing people who work at the zoo, the new Tiger King Park is opening in Thackerville, Oklahoma, this September, directly adjacent to the world's largest casino, Win Star World Casino and Resort."

Progress at the new facility! We are very excited! #oklahoma #happyplace #ok #netflix #tmz #animals

A post shared by Tiger King Park (@tigerkingpark) on May 28, 2020 at 4:40pm PDTMay 28, 2020 at 4:40pm PDT

Joe Exotic's team shared his feelings about the court ruling through his Twitter account

On Wednesday, Exotic's team addressed Baskin's ownership of the zoo in a statement opened by mentioning George Floyd and the widespread worldwide protests for justice reform.

"There is so much sadness and injustice in the world. We believe strongly, as Joe does, that standing up for what is right is always worthwhile. Our whole team prays for justice for George Floyd's family as well as an end to systemic racism in America," the statement began.

"It's with heavy hearts we must officially address the court ruling that transferred ownership of the G.W. Zoo to none other than Carol Baskin," Exotic's team continued. "Because of the amount of press the story has received, we feel a timely response is necessary."

"This ruling is yet another emotional blow to an already fragile Joe, who has spent the past three straight months in solitary confinement," the statement continued. "He has been completely unable to defend himself. As hard as this news is, we refuse to accept defeat. Even as we type this message, Joe's legal team is filing appeals and his social media/PR team are rallying public support."

Exotic's team shared a link to the full statement on Twitter.

—Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) June 4, 2020

Though Carole Baskin has been awarded the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, she will not receive any of its animals, according to court documents

Baskin, who owns the Tampa, Florida-based Big Cat Rescue, first filed lawsuits against Exotic and his zoo over trademarked logos and copyrighted photos between 2011 and 2012, and obtained a judgment of approximately $1 million. After Exotic failed to pay, Baskin later sued Exotic's mother, Shirley M. Schreibvogel, in 2016, claiming Exotic's zoo was fraudulently transferred to Schreibvogel so that he could avoid paying creditors such as Big Cat Rescue.

The court sided with Baskin, and granted her ownership of the zoo on Monday. Baskin will not, however, take possession of the zoo's animals, as Lowe, who purchased the location in 2016, must "vacate the Zoo Land premises within 120 days" of the court order and will be required to remove all zoo animals from the land before leaving, according to the ruling.

In a previous statement sent to Insider, Baskin said: "Over a year ago, Mr. Lowe announced plans to move the animals to a location in Thackerville, Oklahoma, that he has been constructing and he claims will be a better facility. He recently stated that he had funds to complete the zoo and a contractor who could complete it in a few months."

"If the need arises to make other plans to place the animals in new homes, Big Cat Rescue and the animal welfare organizations that have previously successfully placed big cats from large facilities in new homes stand ready to assist," the email continued.

She also added that the court documents "speak for themselves," and that Big Cat Rescue will not be "posting any further comments at this time."

Representatives for Joe Exotic did not immediately respond to Insider's request for comment.

• Read more:
• Carole Baskin says she's not sure if Big Cat Rescue will open to the public again after 'Tiger King'
• Carole Baskin says she had to let go of half of Big Cat Rescue's paid staff while she and her husband aren't taking paychecks
• Carole Baskin has gained control of Joe Exotic's former zoo made famous by 'Tiger King'
• Carole Baskin is selling 'Tiger King' face masks, and a portion of proceeds goes towards rescuing big cats