Big Cats Rescued From 'Tiger King' Property Now Safe At Minnesota Sanctuary

SANDSTONE, MN — Four big cats previously owned by Joe Exotic of “Tiger King” fame are enjoying new lives of peace and comfort at a sanctuary in rural Minnesota.

White tiger Thor Jr., liliger Alyssa, and white lions Alana and Aurora were rescued in May 2021 by The Wildcat Sanctuary in Sandstone, about 90 minutes outside the Twin Cities. The new residents were part of the sanctuary's witness protection program as their legal case unfolded, according to its website.

“Even though we’ve had the cats for almost a year and a half, due to the nature of the court case, we were unable to share the cats publicly until now,” Director Tammy Thies said in a recent announcement on the sanctuary website.

At one point, Exotic owned more than 200 big cats, most in tiny cages, according to the sanctuary. By the time Tiger King Park was shut down and the justice department’s final seizure took place, fewer than 70 such animals remained on the property in Oklahoma, the sanctuary said.

“Tiger King” debuted on Netflix in 2020 and became a viral sensation. The same year, Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was convicted of two counts of murder for hire, eight counts of violating the Lacey Act for falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of breaking the Endangered Species Act, according to the justice department.

Exotic hired two people, one of whom was an undercover FBI agent, to kill Carole Baskin, a critic of Exotic's who owned a tiger sanctuary in Florida, the department said. Exotic also killed five tigers in 2017 to free up cage space for other animals, according to the department. Exotic was sentenced to 22 years in prison but the sentence was reduced to 21 years in 2022, the Associated Press reported.

As for the new Sandstone residents, they’re adjusting well to life at the sanctuary, which is not open for public visitation.

Thor Jr. is high energy, playful and loves to lounge in the pool. Alana is protective of sister Aurora but both enjoy running, playing with balls and watching passing vehicles as well as their tiger neighbors.

Alyssa, who is half lion and half liger, was aggressive and mentally shut down when she was rescued but has since revealed herself to be kind and calm to other animals. She has lived with multiple elderly cats at the sanctuary and now enjoys the company of young lion Gino.