‘Tiger King’ star Jeff Lowe must surrender big cat cubs after 2 euthanized for malnutrition, judge rules

“Tiger King” villain Jeff Lowe must surrender his remaining big cat cubs and their mothers to federal officials after two cubs in his care had to be euthanized due to alleged neglect, a judge has ruled.

Lowe, the former business partner of Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, was sued by the federal government in November for violations of the Endangered Species Act and Animal Welfare Act.

A federal judge in Oklahoma granted the government’s request for a preliminary injunction Friday, meaning Lowe must surrender any big cats younger than a year and their mothers for placement at “reputable facilities” as the court case unfolds.

Federal officials claim Lowe, known for wearing bandannas under his baseball hats, and wife Lauren Lowe have a history of subjecting animals to “inhumane” treatment.

During a June 2020 inspection of their business, a lion cub named Nala was found with ulcerated ears due to “parasites and fleas,” green discharge in her eyes and “shallow” respiration, officials said in their complaint.

The cub was “lethargic, depressed, and thin,” and she appeared to be only 5 months old when she actually was twice that age, the paperwork states.

Nala was transferred to a wildlife sanctuary in Colorado in September 2020, where a test for a vitamin A deficiency determined her level was so low, she likely had difficulty standing “due to poor nutrition,” the filing alleges.

A lion-tiger hybrid named Ayeesha also received inadequate nutrition and veterinary care to the point her bones never developed properly and she suffered “many painful fractures that have impaired her mobility,” the complaint states.

When the Lowes finally took Ayeesha to see a vet in September 2020, she was “immobile” and had “maggots on her rectal area,” the paperwork states.

She had to be euthanized, the judge wrote in his Friday order.

On Dec. 21, a tiger cub named Daniel was euthanized “due to his poor condition,” the judge said.

A veterinarian found that Daniel suffered from a distended abdomen, diarrhea and “metabolic bone disease likely caused by nutritional deficiencies.”

“The Lowes’ animals have suffered from and continue to suffer from easily preventable or treatable conditions, which in some cases has caused the untimely death of animals,” the government said in its complaint.

The Lowes’ lawyer did not immediately respond to a request for comment from the Daily News.

The judge also ordered the Lowes to “retain an attending veterinarian” for their remaining animals and provide records accounting for all animals acquired and disposed since June 2020.

And the couple must “cease exhibiting animals without a valid U.S. Department of Agriculture license,” the court ruled.

The case marks the first time the government has sought civil judicial injunctive relief under the Animal Welfare Act, officials said.

The Lowes tried to fight the injunction by claiming they were not “exhibitors” under the Animal Welfare Act because their new Tiger King Park zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma, is still under construction.

But the judge found the Lowes’ actions promoting the park, making their animals available to the public through online platforms and allowing camera crews on their property made them exhibitors.

“Tiger King” became a pop culture phenomenon early in the coronavirus pandemic when it debuted on Netflix as stay-at-home orders were just starting.

Its star Joe Exotic, the colorful and divisive former gubernatorial candidate who previously owned the zoo, is now serving 22 years in federal prison after a jury convicted him of two counts of murder-for-hire, eight counts of falsifying wildlife records and nine counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

The Lowes, meanwhile, tried to assume his mantle and reopened his Oklahoma zoo in May with a tiger cub “encounter.”

Photos posted online showed visitors packing the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park made famous by the Netflix docuseries.

Wynnewood was later shut down after USDA inspectors found instances of “inadequate food, shelter and veterinary care” provided to the animals there, the court said.