The “pay to play” seen frequently throughout the series is an inherently cruel business. Exhibitors “speed breed” female cats multiple times a year, which impacts her health and often leads to her producing sick cubs that fail to thrive. They also cross-breed unnatural hybrids, which leads to defects and chronic health issues.

Cubs are then taken from their mothers instantly (Joe even admits to feeding cubs straight out the womb) to be hand-raised. They are often fed a nutritionally deficient diet to stunt their growth, so they can be used for “cub petting” longer. It was no secret that G.W. Zoo collected expired meat from supermarkets to feed to the animals. After, of course, the staff were given first dibs.

In order to prevent the cubs from “acting up” (behaving like a normal cub), they’re subjected to long hours of rough handling, sleep deprivation and physical abuse such as being punched and violently shaken. The stress cubs undergo - being separated from their mothers, handled by multiple people a day and the abusive handling - leaves them vulnerable to disease, including some that are transmissible to humans.

By as little as eight weeks, cubs are usually too large to interact with humans, and at this point, they're discarded. If they’re not then used for breeding they’ll likely be shipped off to substandard facilities or killed. There are many instances throughout the documentary when people speak of the cost of feeding the animals and the fact that once they’re not producing revenue, they’re seen as a burden. Though it’s insisted that animals are only euthanised when they’re sick, it’s hard to believe these merciless, money-hungry predators wouldn’t kill what they view as a money-eating commodity.

Add to this the small, barren cages the animals are kept in - it’s clear they’re doomed for a miserable existence. What laws are in place are minimal and often violated. The care and conditions these cats are subjected to is criminal.

So consumed are common folk and celebrities with Tiger King that comedian Joel McHale “insisted on hosting a glitzy follow-up special”. The episode is to catch up with seven of the characters including producer Rick Kirkham, Jeff Lowe and John Reinke.

McHale asks how people have found documentary afterlife and questions whether some of the staff of G.W. Zoo regret being involved with Joe Exotic (not on the line up). Erik Cowie speaks of helping the euthanise tigers and shares that this would be done whether the cat was sick or not and then alleges that the animals had it ‘better’ than the staff (unlikely). It’s clear from all the interviews that none of them has respect for Joe and that they’re happy to see the back of him.

When asked if he’s seen ‘the nanny’ Cowie replies “I’ve seen her booty and that’s about it”...

“The nanny” McHale is referring to is Jeff Lowe's actual nanny. When speaking to Lowe and his wife, McHale asks “How’s the nanny working out?” to which his wife replies “she’s hot”. A picture of her pops up. This is an example of what the documentary series was really all about.

The only person who really talks honestly about the issues with the documentary is Rick Kirkham. He admits that three months into living at the zoo he began to see Joe exotic do things to animals that were wrong: “As I’ve admitted, I sold out my journalistic integrity by not just going to the authorities…” He says he regrets ever meeting Joe Exotic and that he got sucked into the surreal world of the “crazy zookeeper”. A regret that, it’s clear, came too little too late.

Why should ‘Tiger King’ be seen as unethical film making? You know, other than the fact that the many abhorrent behaviours and practices are washed over and used as filler for the obscenely far-fetched story of the characters lives.

When Jeff Lowe and co work with the feds to help bring Joe Exotic down, it occurs that at some stage, during the five years of filming. You’d hope that someone from the production would have recognised that the cruelty that the big cats and other exotic animals were experiencing was not worth the acclaim.

If you haven’t already watched Tiger King, do you really want to? If you already have, what’s your opinion of it now?