The Ghosts in Tiger King Land

The Netflix series "Tiger King," was weird enough when we saw it earlier this year, but lately, even though Joe Exotic is long gone, we've learned the strange goings on down in Wynnewood, OK continue.

Just this past week it has been reported Travel Channel's, "Ghost Adventures," crew was on the prowl at the decaying GW Exotic Animal Park. Presumably they were looking for more than the spirits of the tigers Joe Exotic, the fiercely out there former park owner, allegedly killed. Exotic--real name Joe Maldonado-Passage--is currently doing 20 plus years in jail on numerous charges, including a botched murder for hire plot involving humans rather than large cats.

According to Exotic the ashes of at least three, possibly four, people have been spread across several different parts of the 16 acre, "zoo." After Joe went away, a man named Jeff Lowe briefly took possession of the land and animals enclosed there. He has said, "several people," had been killed on park grounds, although as far as officials know only one person died a violent death on the property. He was Travis Maldonado, one of Mr. Exotic's many husbands. The official report states he accidently shot himself in the head.

Despite this seemingly low body count, according to Lowe, when you're in the park at night, "It is the creepiest place in the world." It is unknown if he is the one who contacted the producers of, "Ghost Adventures," or if it was the new owner, Carole Baskin, a woman who might have at least one ghost lurking in her own past.

What we do know is, "Ghost Adventures," executive producer and on air star, Zac Bagans showed up at what is left of the park along with his cast and crew to stir up some haints. Along with their usual assortment of odd electronic wizardry they brought a couple of cadaver dogs to narrow the search.

The media reported the dogs got a hit near what was once an alligator pit. Bagans, or probably someone from Travel Channel's legal department, notified the Garvin County Sheriff's office, who in turn called the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation.

Although there aren't any tales of human tragedy nearby the pit was once the scene of a reptilian massacre. Years ago, when a large fire destroyed part of the park all but one of the beasts kept there boiled to death. Although imaginations might have run amok with gruesome scenarios of human sacrifices, a search of the area conducted by Sheriff Jim Mullett's crew and OSBI agents produced only a few small animal bones. Mullett quickly told the press he was convinced there weren't any human remains in the area. In other words the dogs hired by Bagans' outfit were utterly incompetent and, by the way, leave me alone I have better things to do.

Whether a Tiger King segment is aired on, "Ghost Adventures," when it begins a new season is up to speculation. However,  we do know Bagans and his cast are always entranced with, "creepy places," even though they might be short on paranormal activities. In fact in many episodes their only proof of hauntings are a few luminous orbs floating about which most people who aren't hunting spirits for a living would write off as bugs reflecting camera lights.

Besides, they might be looking in the wrong place. Rumors abound that Baskin, who for years has run her own big cat sanctuary in Florida, did in her first husband, the fabulously well to do Jack Don Lewis. He disappeared without a trace in 1997 and no less of an authority than Joe Exotic himself claims she fed his remains to one, or more of her tigers.

Well, in these sort of sordid affairs you never know what a professional like Zac Bagans might turn up. By the time it is over he might find the entire GW Exotic Animal Park is sitting on top of a native American burial ground. After all that's what researchers like him do and it would help explain the bizarre shit which went on there for decades.

Hey, why not? The whole year has turned into a huge Twilight Zone episode anyway. We might as well roll with it while we can.


sic vita est

7-12-20