“Tiger King” star and big cat activist Carole Baskin has a new project in the works.
The former “Dancing With the Stars” contestant is teaming up with Knoxville, Tenn., filmmakers to make a documentary about big cat conservation and the cruelty of keeping them in small zoos and parks.
Baskin said she felt like the Netflix show was a missed opportunity to do important work. She wanted to do the series to expose how the animals are mistreated and abused.
Instead, “Tiger King” followed the chaotic life of jailed zookeeper Joe Exotic and his failed murder-for-hire plot against Baskin.
“For five years we thought we were working on the ‘Blackfish’ for big cats which would be the one that would expose the cruelty involved,” she explained to local news outlet WATN.
Carole Baskin is working on a new documentary about big cat conservation.
(Netflix)
The founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue in Florida added, “‘Tiger King’ just interviewed a bunch of animal abusers and animal exploiters and made them the experts in their narrative.”
Baskin was very happy when she met Rescue Doc Films, a Knoxville-based nonprofit, while they were working on their new documentary “The Hidden Tiger.”
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“One documentary team went one direction then we went to India and Nepal. Came face to face with wild tigers,” said producer Josh Gildrie. The other team went to Baskin’s big cat sanctuary.
“I don’t think people realize the impact of a tiger selfie and that’s where the film comes in and educates as to true ways of things you can do to help tigers,” director Michael Samtesto explained.
Carole Baskin, founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue.
(Netflix)
“I think people will come away from the film inspired and they’ll have an idea of things they can do to help save the tiger in the wild,” Samtesto added.
Baskin described how this new project is more aligned with her conservation work.
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“This is such a wonderful opportunity to try and promote something that people really do need to watch and care about,” she said. “It does show you that we have the ability to change the trajectory within our power now.”
“The Hidden Tiger” premieres on December 26.