karma
Karma struck in Hugo, Oklahoma, where tiger handler Ryan Easley – former associate of the tiger abuser Joe Exotic – was killed by a captive tiger at Growler Pines Tiger Preserve. He was not a caretaker; he was a ruthless tiger handler staging encounters for paying visitors. Tigers were reduced to props for photo ops and tricks.
The preserve quickly labeled it an “accident,” praising his “love.” But the reality is structural: captivity breeds risk. Tigers are apex predators, not stage animals. When greed creates contact, the line between spectacle and blood is thin. This time, karma answered. It exposes the wider cruelty of zoos and tigers, where exploitation hides behind conservation slogans.
Growler Pines sells “hands-on demonstrations” as if trust can override instinct. It cannot. These facilities call themselves “preserves,” yet profit from performances, enforcing tigers with cruel methods. True sanctuaries never allow public handling. Until the U.S. bans such practices, more handlers will fall victim, and tigers will continue to suffer for human vanity disguised as care.
The karma article:
Based on WAVY, USA.
Photo via WAVY.
