TIGER TIME

‘Tiger King’ Zoo Reopens Despite Coronavirus Fears

Multiple tigers at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19, raising questions about the safety of petting the big cats.

The Oklahoma zoo at the center of Tiger King resumed its operations, including private tiger petting, on April 24, National Geographic reports. The destination was closed for a month due to the coronavirus pandemic, but now that its doors are open, visitors told the magazine they’re queuing up for hours to get some tiger time. Joe Exotic, real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage, the subject of the popular documentary, is absent from the reopening of Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, as he’s serving 22 years in prison orchestrating his rival Carole Baskin’s murder and animal trafficking. He no longer owns the zoo. Multiple tigers at the Bronx Zoo have tested positive for COVID-19, raising questions about the safety of petting the big cats during a pandemic, though none so far have been reported at Wynnewood.