Wait, Joe Exotic is scared of big cats? 5 things we learnt in the 'Tiger King' special episode

A 40-minute bonus episode of Netflix's hit documentary unearthed some new truths about the controversial zoo owner

Zoo owner Joe Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in jail in 2019. AFP

Could not get enough of Joe Exotic and the murky world of big cat collectors? We know the feeling.

Tiger King: Murder, Madness and Mayhem, the cult Netflix documentary which was released on March 20, has since become the streaming platform's most-viewed show in the US.

It documents the rivalry between private zoo owner Joe Exotic and Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin, culminating in Exotic's conviction for conspiring in a murder-for-hire scheme.

The gripping series was originally launched with seven episodes, but then The Tiger King and I, a 40-minute special, landed on Netflix on Sunday night.

Hosted by comedian Joel McHale, the show was filmed remotely in the wake of the coronavirus pandemic, with regular interviewees such as zookeeper Erik Cowie, animal keeper Kelci "Saff" Saffery and Joe Exotic TV producer Rick Kirkham speaking from their homes.

Here is what The National learnt from the newly released special.

1. Apparently Joe Exotic does not even like big cats

The infamous zoo owner, who boasted of having more than 200 big cats in the Netflix documentary, is actually scared of tigers, according to TV producer Kirkham.

“The one thing that was not pointed out in the docuseries that is really important to know too, Joe was terrified of big cats,” said the former journalist, who was hired by Exotic to produce a TV show from his zoo.

“He was scared to death of lions and tigers. In the shots that you see in there, where he is in with two tigers, the white one and the other one, the white one is blind and the other one is on tranquilisers. It’s idiotic to think how he has become famous as ‘The Tiger King’ when he is so terrified of big cats.”

2. Exotic allegedly shot a horse and fed it to his tigers

Kirkham also shared a troubling story, in which Exotic reportedly promised to care for an elderly horse given to him by a zoo visitor. The zoo owner instead requested the TV producer keep the cameras rolling as he executed the horse shortly after the woman left.

“I don’t take care of nobody’s animals, and now they are tiger meat,” Kirkham recalled Exotic saying.

Keeper Saffery, who lost an arm in a workplace tiger attack, also opened up about the killing of big cats at Exotic's Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Park, also known as GW Zoo.

“It was out of my control,” he said. “Joe always had a way of explaining his actions. ‘They were old.’ ‘They were injured.’ ‘They were suffering,’ is what we got.”

3. Exotic is enjoying his new-found global fame 

The zoo owner, 57, was handed a 22-year prison sentence in 2019, for animal abuse and plotting to kill Baskin (neither of whom appeared in the Netflix special episode). And while Exotic is currently incarcerated, the subsequent spotlight that has fallen on him has not escaped his notice – and he is taking full advantage of it.

"He is communicating with some of his old fans, and he is having them run Facebook pages. So he's getting all the messages people are sending," said Joshua Dial, Exotic's former campaign manager.

"All the money people are raising for him, he's getting all that. He is in the loop on this and he is loving every minute of it."

4. Behind bars is where some of his former employees think he should stay

Not many of Exotic's former colleagues had a kind word to say about their ex-boss. “He is gonna die in there. Good riddance," said zookeeper Cowie when asked if Exotic should be released from prison.

“Joe is his own worst enemy,” said Jeff Lowe, who now runs GW Zoo.

“Joe did not get set up. He admitted to killing the tigers from jail.”

Saffery was the only former employee with a kind word for Exotic, revealing that while he thought "justice was served", he did not want to see the felon die behind bars.

"He fed people a whole Thanksgiving dinner for free that him and his family cooked," he said of Exotic's good deeds. "Every single year since I've been there, I've seen him give the jacket off his back for people. And I think that was not highlighted [in Tiger King] enough.

"Joe did a lot of messed-up stuff. That is a fact ... and now the entire world knows it. But he did a lot of good things, too.”

5. Who the real people would like to see play them in a movie

There are no signs that Hollywood producers are set to make a silver-screen portrayal of Exotic and Baskin's tale. However, when quizzed by McHale, some of the special's interviewees had already picked out which actors they would like to see play themselves in a movie of their lives.

Former zoo manager John Reinke chose Matthew McConaughey, while Kirkham would like to be portrayed by Billy Bob Thornton. Saffery, meanwhile, suggested Johnny Tsunami actor Brandon Baker.

Here is an apt Instagram post with few casting suggestions:

And an excellent Twitter thread with some alternatives: