HIDDEN DANGER

Tiger Kills its Keeper at Controversial Wildlife Preserve

The tragedy at Growler Pines Tiger Preserve was after claims of cruelty and ties to Tiger King.

A big cat trainer was killed by a tiger at a preserve which was previously accused of misconduct by animal rights activists. Ryan Easley was involved in an “act” with the tiger at the Growler Pines Tiger Preserve in Hugo, Oklahoma, when it turned on him, Choctaw County Sheriff said. Easley, 37, was not breathing when sheriff’s deputies arrived, KXII reported. The preserve paid tribute in a Facebook post, saying, “This tragedy is a painful reminder of both the beauty and unpredictability of the natural world. The animals under his care were not just animals to him, but beings he formed a connection with.” However, animal rights group PETA alleged a darker background to the tragedy. It said it had complained about conditions for the tigers at the preserve in 2017, alleging they were caged unnecessarily and were stressed. The group also alleged Easley had obtained his tigers from infamous animal trainers Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado from the eponymous Netflix show and convicted wildlife trafficker Bhagavan Mahamayavi “Doc” Antle. The Oklahoman reported Exotic—who despite being behind bars appears to have access to his social media accounts—initially posted a warm tribute to Easley, saying, “Prayers go out to his family. Ryan took great care of his animals!” But as accusations of misconduct surfaced, Exotic then denied anything to do with the tragedy, posting, “I had nothing to do with this dude other than 18 years ago I let him keep his tigers at my zoo for one winter.”