Seven big cats from 'Tiger King' find a new home in Valentine, Arizona

VALENTINE, Ariz. - Seven big cats have a new home in northern Arizona, and many of them may already be well known to some people from the Netflix show "Tiger King."

The lions and tigers were federally seized from an animal park featured in Netflix’s Tiger King documentary.

While Joe Exotic was the main character, Jeffrey Lowe was also a central figure. The animals were seized from his Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma.

Their new home is near Kingman at Keepers of the Wild in Valentine, Arizona, owned by Jonathan Kraft.

"They take pictures with them and make a lot of money off the animals," Kraft said. "What happens to them afterwards is anybody’s guess. A lot of them end up in a place like where these guys came from. It’s very unfortunate…we’re totally against that type of behavior."

Kraft says he knows some people might only be familiar with sanctuaries from the Netflix documentary, but says the animals at his place aren’t put through anything like the wild world of Tiger King.

"Ours is the total opposite," Kraft explained. "We give all of our animals total natural habitats, we don’t exploit them in any way, we don’t interact with them, we don’t breed them, we don’t buy, sell or trade them. 

"We’re a real true sanctuary, with an animal hospital on site," Kraft continued. "And all the food they get is from U.S. food, so they get top rate care."

The seven big cats were among 68 seized from the Oklahoma park. The Department of Justice was working with rescues around the country.

Visit Keepers of the Wild: https://www.keepersofthewild.org/

More Arizona news

• Help wanted: Arizona resorts have hundreds of open positions available
• Two Arizonans honored with JFK Profile in Courage Award
• Made in Arizona: Phoenix-based Original Elderberry Co. makes syrups, soaps to boost immune systems

Tune in to FOX 10 Phoenix for the latest news: