It seems like an absolute age since everyone was obsessed with ‘Tiger King’ and Joe Exotic, but it was only a few months ago – that’s just how weirdly it seems that time passed whilst we were all stuck in lockdown.

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Anyway, it’s been so long since ‘Tiger King’ was a worldwide smash that there’s actually a new documentary coming out about the subjects of the documentary, although it’s taking an unusual angle and focussing on the animals that were kept captive in Joe Exotic’s zoo. Not really sure they had much screen time in the original series, but considering the documentary comes out on Animal Planet, it probably makes sense.

Here’s the trailer and the official synopsis:

Viewers will follow the emotional stories of animals that made it out of the zoo for a second chance at life, and hear from ex-employees, including Saff Saffery – who lost an arm to one of Joe’s tigers – rescue leaders, exotic animal experts, and others with firsthand knowledge of the animal trafficking and breeding that fuelled Joe Exotic’s empire.

Paired with never-before-seen footage of Joe filmed for Animal Planet’s Wolves and Warriors in 2018, audiences will witness the stories of animals who were caught in the crossfire of Joe Exotic’s big cat breeding business, and the heartwarming stories of those that found new homes after the G.W. Zoo.

That probably would have done really well if it was released a couple of weeks after the original ‘Tiger King’ dropped, but a few months down the line I’m not sure if it’s going to have much impact on the cultural zeitgeist given it’s the summer now and most people are hanging out in parks and getting wasted all the time. Cool that they’ve brought Saff back for it and that all the footage is from before the hype of ‘Tiger King’ and before Joe was arrested, but I feel like the Joe Exotic/Tiger King train has probably run off the tracks now.

For more of the same, what about the Nicolas Cage/Joe Exotic crossover? That might reignite interested in the idea, but we’re probably going to have to wait over a year for that.