Netflix's Tiger King Review: 8 Things We Learned

8. There Are More Tigers In Captivity In America Then There Is In The Wild Worldwide

Though much of the focus of the series revolves around the personal lives of those documented and particularly the feud between Exotic and Baskin, it also sheds a light on the prevalence of private ownership of exotic animals in America.

A particularly poignant fact that is highlighted during the very first episode is that more tigers exist in captivity in the United States than all the tigers in the wild combined.

Populations of captive big cats have rapidly increased throughout the US thanks to the commodification of the animals that is elaborated on throughout the documentary. Baby tigers can fetch around $2000 so despite the fact that selling an endangered species in the US is illegal under federal law, breeding still takes place for the purpose of commercial gain.

Throughout the episodes, there are references to Baskin's attempts to get a bill passed through Congress that would make the unauthorised ownership of big cats illegal in the US, and prevent zoos from allowing direct contact between patrons and the animals. However, these acts have yet to be passed, and private ownership, often in unsafe conditions, remains rampant in the country.