The first animals at the private facility in far north WA will be two Sumatran tigers once owned by the original Tiger King, Joe Exotic.
The 350-hectare facility in Kununurra, to be called Kimberley Zoo, and pictured above for the first time in an artist’s impression, won’t be open to the public.
It has six staff and will ultimately have 11 animals this year, including the tigers, along with water buffalo, zebras and various birds.
Staff will record the animals’ DNA and take part in breeding programs with other zoos around the world.
Sam, 30, the son of former WA premier Colin Barnett, is planning to relocate to the US once travel restrictions ease.
He is working with an investor from Florida to make his dream a reality – and it isn’t Carole Baskin, who appears in the Netflix series Tiger King.
Speaking exclusively to New Idea, Sam says: “The best-case scenario is we open on July 28. The tigers will soon go to quarantine in Queensland, then get transported to another facility in WA before getting to our zoo.”
This story is from the July 20, 2020 edition of New Idea.
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This story is from the July 20, 2020 edition of New Idea.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 8,500+ magazines and newspapers.
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