Tiger King ‘s Joe Exotic has broken his silence after his beloved GW Zoo has been passed over to arch-nemesis Carole Baskin.
Exotic has been locked in a long-running with Baskin, and their rivalry reached fever-pitch when the tiger enthusiast used logos that looked like those operated by Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue company.
In 2011, Baskin sued Exotic for trademark infringement and was finalised in 2013 with the tiger enthusiast ordered to pay Big Cat Rescue $1million (£789,450).
Following a lengthy court battle, a federal judge awarded Carole Baskin control of Exotic’s old zoo in Oklahoma as part of a ruling in a $1m (£800,000) trademark dispute.
Joe Exotic said it’s an ’emotional blow’ following the news (Image: Netflix US/AFP via Getty Images)
Exotic, who is currently serving 22 years behind bars for animal abuse charges and a murder-for-hire plot against Baskin, released a statement via his management.
During the heartfelt note, they explained the zoo transfer was an “emotional blow” to Exotic.
Posting the statement on Twitter, it read: “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.
“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.”
“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.
Baskin, owner of Big Cat Rescue, has been locked in a long-running feud with Exotic for years (Image: Netflix)
Prior to his arrest, Joe left his zoo to business partner Jeff Lowe and his mother.
According to the ruling published by Courthouse News Service, Lowe has 120 days to vacate the property, and remove all the animals living in it.
Series 2 is set to be a cracker….
Source: Celebrities - dailystar.co.uk
