In yet another strange turn in the Tiger King saga, Joe Exotic has spoken out on his long-standing nemesis Carole Baskin being awarded his zoo in a court hearing earlier this week.
The peroxide-haired big cat owner, whose real name is Joe Schreibvogel, called the decision "treachery".
Exotic - who starred in the smash hit Netflix docuseries Tiger King and is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for plotting to have Baskin killed - responded to the news via his management team.
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In a series of tweets, the former zoo keeper described the ruling as "yet another emotional blow" to his "already fragile" state.
Controversially, Exotic linked his statement to the tragic death of George Floyd on May 25th in Minneapolis, Minnesota.
The tweet read: "While we again acknowledge it is truly time to pray for justice for George Floyd's family as well as an end to systemic racism in America, we must address Carol [sic] Baskin's treachery before it goes unchecked."
In an official statement attached to the tweet, Exotic's management team said: "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."
The statement went on to explain that Exotic was currently living in solitary confinement.
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"This ruling is yet another emotional blow to an already fragile Joe, who has spent the past 3 straight months in solitary confinement. He has been completely unable to defend himself."
Finally, Exotic's management team revealed that they were preparing to launch an appeal against the ruling.
"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," concluded the statement.
Exotics' words follow the news that Carole Baskin, whose ongoing feud with Joe Exotic was documented in Tiger King, has been awarded the zoo once owned by her rival.
Earlier this week, an Oklahoma judge ruled in favour of Baskin's Big Cat Rescue Corporation in a lawsuit against the Greater Wynnewood Development Group, LLC, the company Exotic once owned, according to CNN.
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As a result, the GWDC are required to vacate the premises - which is made up of approximately 16 acres of land - within 120 days, as well as removing "all zoo animals from the Zoo Land," the lawsuit specifies, as reported by CNN.
The colossal popularity of Tiger King has spawned spin-offs and big screen reimaginings of the docuseries, with Nicholas Cage said to be in talks to play Joe Exotic.
John Reinke, a former employee of Exotic and a subject of the hit documentary, said earlier this month that there were hundreds of hours of footage that could be turned into further episodes.
And, with Exotic's management team preparing to file an appeal, we think we can safely say the Tiger King saga is far from over.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Tiger King, TV and Film, Joe Exotic, TV News, TV Entertainment, Carole Baskin
