Carole Baskin Has Won Control of Joe Exotic's Former Zoo

Should we call her Tiger Queen?

It's been a few months since Netflix released its Tiger King documentary, but if you thought the drama had started to settle down, you were incredibly mistaken. 

Earlier this week, it was announced that cool cat Carole Baskin has won total control of Joe Exotic's former zoo. 

Considering Carole has been Joe's arch-nemesis for quite some time, it's safe to say he's probably feeling pretty distraught.

Joe (aka Joseph Maldonado-Passage) is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence for attempting to hire a man to kill Carole, the founder of Big Cat Rescue.

Additionally, he's also guilty of eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records, and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

As reported by Courthouse News, a federal judge granted Carole control of Joe's former zoo properties in Oklahoma, after finding they were fraudulently transferred to avoid paying her under a $US1 million trademark judgment.

Joe had changed the design of his former zoo logo to something similar to Carole's, which she sued him for. It was all part of Joe's plan to wind her up, and you may recall it featuring in the Netflix doco. 

Carole was also awarded control of a number of cars and cabins on the property as part of the judgment. 

The decision also stated that the zoo animals must be removed from the property within 120 days. Although, it did not specify what should happen to them. That means the current owner of the park, Jeff Lowe, will also have to vacate the premises. 

Jeff's attorney Walter Mosley told CNN the judgment wasn't entirely surprising.

"We anticipated Carole Baskin getting the title to the former park that once belonged to Joe Exotic, and we did challenge her attempts to do so," he said.

At this stage, it's not clear what Carole plans to do with Joe's former zoo properties. 

The drama simply does not stop. Plus, a Tiger King scripted series is on the way with Nicolas Cage portraying Joe, and another show is in the works starring Kate McKinnon, so we'll probably be in for even more.

Header Image: Netflix