by Vendela Krenkel ’20, Christianna Tran ’20, and Anjali Verma ‘20

Netflix has recently released an all new bizzare seven-part documentary series named “Tiger King Murder, Mayhem, and Madness.” This show, which was released March 20,  has become wildly popular within the last couple of weeks. It follows the career and life of Joe Exotic, a largely eccentric and outlandish person who owns a private zoo, breeding and selling hundreds of tigers and big cats. The series tells the tale of Exotic’s tiger empire and its eventual downfall, landing him in prison. Shedding light on both surprising drama within the zoo and outside within the big cat breeding community, the show is unpredictable yet eye opening to a world many are so unaware of. 

The crazy twists and turns along with the ridiculous people make for great entertainment. In the episodes, In the episodes, rumors, lawsuits, marriages, catastrophes, and death ensue. Although it is funny and light hearted at times, “Tiger King” also takes viewers through heart–wrenching betrayals, making watchers feel connected to this story and hope for the wellbeing of their favorite personalities.

Following the stories of many big cat zookeepers and their teams, the show maintains an impartial opinion, showing both sides of each controversy. The main feud centers around Exotic and Carole Baskin, a fellow private zookeeper. Baskin, although beginning her career as a big cat breeder, now runs a shelter for unwanted big cats living out their final years in peace. Exotic’s issues with her arise when she speaks out against the mistreatment of big cats at many private zoos in America, which he points out as hypocritical and selfish. As a potential murder plot unfurls, the docuseries takes viewers on a wild ride of second guessing the intentions of Exotic and Baskin.

“Tiger King” director Eric Goode delves deeper into the drama that goes further than big cat zookeepers and breeders. Following the timeline of events chronologically, viewers can see the conflicts between the major players in the big cat world worsen as close bonds dissolve. Although it can be hard for the audience to accept, no one side is blameless. The series was quite hard to follow at times, often going off into random tangents that did not feed into any sort of major plot.

Through all of the drama, the importance of the salvation of tigers often gets overshadowed. The reality of the endangerment of tigers is only emphasized at the end. Though jarring information is presented and the real abuse of these animals is occasionally depicted in the show, it is a shame for a series that is gaining so much publicity to not repeat this advocacy throughout, encouraging viewers to take part in the fight for big cat conservation.

Grade: B-