FoA’s sanctuary heroically rescues primates from former Tiger King partner

There were no heroes in the Netflix documentary series “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” And the aberration and ignorance of Joe Exotic, former owner of the GW Exotic Animals Park in Oklahoma and his associates that you saw onscreen continues in real life.

That’s why Primarily Primates rescued 12 animals from Indiana’s Wildlife in Need, a roadside zoo owned by Tim Stark, who was featured in “Tiger King” as a trading partner of Joe. Stark, who has been exploiting exotic animals ranging from big cats and bears to wolves and monkeys in animal encounters for years, lost his license to operate last month after USDA officials said he violated the Animal Welfare Act more than 100 times.

The heroic rescue includes a female olive baboon, three patas monkeys, two brown lemurs, a bonnet macaque, two rhesus macaques and three booted macaques. We need your support as their care will require thousands of dollars and they are not arriving with placement fees. You can help us right the wrongs created by the likes of Joe Exotic and Tim Stark. Donate here. 

What we saw on screen was crazy and grotesque. It did not educate viewers about the abuse inherent in roadside zoos or that big cats should never be pets. And unfortunately, it sent a disjointed message about animal rights organizations’ impact on improving the lives of animals exploited and discarded by the exotic pet trade, the movie and TV entertainment industry, and circuses, as well as animal research.

The best animal rights groups have a positive role in supporting sanctuaries, and by sanctuaries we mean places where the main goal is the safety and well-being of the exotic animals in their care.

Real sanctuaries don’t sell tickets to the public to gawk at the exotic animals or offer animal encounters of any kind. Real sanctuaries don’t breed, kill or trade away the lives of animals released from exploitative industries.