29-03-2021
The Real Tiger Kings: Private Zoos of the Crazy Rich
What's one extravagance you'd own if you had access to unlimited wealth? Would a white tiger be on your list? For some people in a certain tax bracket (the richest of the rich), an exotic animal is the ultimate #petgoals. The question we wanna ask is: Why, tho? Rich newspaper Tycoon William Randolph Hearst once owned one of the world’s largest private zoos, home to everything from sun bears to storks to elephants. Wealthy Columbian drug lord Pablo Escobar had a private menagerie that included rhinos, zebras and those now famous cocaine hippos. Even World Heavyweight Champion and uber rich guy Mike Tyson got in on it for a while with his three white tigers. And, of course there's Netflix-famous Joe Exotic aka Tiger King. Erika, Niki and Jay dive into the deep desires of the wealthy to own exotic animals, with the help of psychologist Suzanne MacDonald and animal ethicist James Serpell. The team time travels to the 7th Century with archaeologist Lisa Cooper, and then asks if Tik Tok is the exotic zoo of the future. It’s a wild ride through the world of ancient kings, drug kings, and yes, tiger kings. Thanks for listening and reading our show notes! To get more anthropomania content sign up for our newsletter and visit our website.Do you have feedback? Maybe an idea for a future episode? Please tell us by filling out our Listener Feedback Survey. As promised, here are additional links to info about the content you heard on this episode. Find out more about King Ashurbanipal's Zoo and lion hunting practice.Pablo Escobars former zoo Hacienda Napoles which is now an amusement park. And if you're curious about those hippos, read this.Don't forget to follow, subscribe and leave us a ***** review. And share this episode with our fellow Anthropomaniacs around the world.'Til next time,Team Anthropomania