Tiger King star Joe Exotic once wanted to be a "wolf king"

The star of Netflix's Tiger King originally wanted to be a "wolf king".

According to TMZ, the documentary's star Joe Exotic took in 28 grey wolves in 2018 from a Minneapolis "petting zoo".

The Sun reported that the zoo had apparently lost in a lawsuit against the Animal Legal Defence Fund over claims it had disobeyed the Endangered Species Act.

Lawyer Christopher Berry, who filed the lawsuit, is said to have sent a legal letter to Joe Exotic telling him he had also broken that law.

Exotic was accused of taking the animals from Minnesota to Oklahoma, which goes against the Act as protected animals need a permit to cross state lines.

Berry also claimed Exotic tried to sell several wolf pups over social media, which goes against the law's ban of the commercial sale of endangered species.

Berry claimed that Exotic angrily denied he had broken any laws.

According to TMZ, Exotic felt he couldn't handle the wolves at the G.W. Exotic Animal Park, as they tended to escape their cages and run riot over the zoo. He eventually passed them on to Lockwood Animal Rescue in California.

However, only 25 of his 28 wolves made it to Lockwood. Berry claimed that one of the animals died at the Exotic Animal Park from an infection, and the other two had gone missing.

Exotic is serving a 22-year sentence after conviction of a murder plot against rival Carole Baskin, 58.

Last month he sued the Department of the Interior, the US Fish and Wildlife Service, and several witnesses as well as the assistant lawyer who prosecuted him.

Exotic claimed he had been convicted on false testimony and is seeking almost US$94 million ($155m) in damages.

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