‘Tiger King’ star Jeff Lowe wanted in Las Vegas on 4 bench warrants
Netflix’s “Tiger King” documentary star Jeff Lowe is wanted on four bench warrants after he missed a court hearing Wednesday, according to Las Vegas Municipal Court.
The warrants stem from a 2017 case, and Lowe faces three counts of not having a proper license or permit for wild animals and one count of doing business without a license. On Wednesday, Lowe’s attorney also withdrew from the case, according to the court.
In June 2017, Lowe was hoping to use a baby liger and pet tiger cub to start a business in Las Vegas where tourists could take pictures with the large cats. A liger is the hybrid offspring of a male lion and a female tiger. Lowe operated The Jungle Bus, where he took people along the Strip to play with the cubs.
He also rented a home in North Las Vegas, where guests could interact with his cubs, and was arrested at the home in November 2017 by Clark County animal control officers.
Last year, protesters gathered at Lowe’s scheduled court hearing in Municipal Court.
Lowe pleaded guilty in April 2018, court records show. He agreed to pay a $10,000 fine and surrender his tiger, liger and lemur, which are now being kept at a private animal habitat in Pahrump.
But he hasn’t stayed out of trouble since.
Numerous news outlets reported Saturday that Lowe and his wife, Lauren, were arrested and charged with DUI in Oklahoma. Last month, the Department of Justice announced that it had seized 68 protected lions, tigers, lion-tiger hybrids and a jaguar from Lowe’s Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma.
The Justice Department filed a civil complaint last year in federal district court in Muskogee, Oklahoma, against Lowe, his wife and the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park he took over from founder Joe Exotic in 2016 and Tiger King LLC.
According to the complaint, Lowe engaged in inhumane treatment and improper handling of endangered species of animals.
Once apprehended, Lowe must post $20,500 and a new hearing date will be set, according to Las Vegas Municipal Court.
Contact Briana Erickson at berickson@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-5244. Follow @ByBrianaE on Twitter.
