Carole Baskin feels 'betrayed' by Netflix filmmakers

Carole Baskin has spoken out about the effect of being portrayed as the villain in Netflix series Tiger King, which has seen her being inundated with death threats.

In the documentary which followed the rivalry between Baskin and fellow big-cat enthusiast Joseph Maldonado-Passage – better known as Joe Exotic, the series examined the mysterious disappearance of Baskin's previous husband, Don Lewis.

In Tiger King, Lewis' family spoke openly about their belief that Baskin was behind Lewis's disappearance, as a way of obtaining his huge fortune.

Despite denying having anything to do with his disappearance, many fans of the series now believe she murdered him - and Baskin is now afraid of living at her home because of the death threats she had been receiving since the show aired.

She told the Tampa Bay Times she had seen drones fly over her home and a doorbell camera revealed people lingering at the gates of her big-cat sanctuary, even though it's been closed due to the coronavirus outbreak.

Baskin also told the newspaper she feels 'betrayed' by the filmmakers, as she thought the documentary was focusing on their work to trump big-cat cub petting and other trading acts.

"I just feel so angry that people have totally missed the point," Baskin said.

"And, the point is, these cubs are being abused and exploited and the public is enabling that."

This article was first published on nzherald.co.nz and is republished here with permission