PET NEWS! Tiger King and the real big cat people on the front line.
Like many people in the rest of the world, my town has felt the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic and I, too, have been under a Safer At Home order. Staying home, staying in, for weeks upon weeks with no end in sight can be rather daunting. So, I turned to TV and the Internet for comfort and they did not disappoint. Enter Tiger King and all things Joe Exotic. I found this show before it was even a thing, and I binge watched it on one Saturday in March…. and promptly texted every single person I knew (including my parents) and told them to hold on to their hats and WATCH THIS SHOW. The rest of the world was with me, and Tiger King became an overnight success.
As I am a lucky woman who gets to actually work with animals, and watch Colleen work with animals on set, I had to ask myself, “What can we do to help make something GOOD come from this?” As soon as Colleen watched the show, her wheels started turning as well. She started reaching out to people who actually work in the world of exotic animal rescue (not to be confused with any of these roadside zoos and exotic animal prisons that were showcased on the show) and started to see what she could find out. I am so happy to report that she was able to connect with two really interesting men (one in Africa and one stateside) who are actually out there doing good and putting the needs of the animals first, and was able to interview them for Pets on Q’s newly launched podcast, Pet News. The first episode of this two-part offering just premiered today, and we would really love it if you would check it out. In it the first guest, Kent Drotar, expands our knowledge on regulations and how he took in some of the actual animals surrendered from Joe Exotic’s place featured on the show. Kent brings a needed voice to this issue and the wonderful reminder that there are real animal lives behind this sensationalized show. We end the episode with Colleen and I talking about our personal takeaways and how we can start to all make a difference together.
Please join us and take a listen!