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Carole Baskin reacts to Donald Trump refusing to pardon Joe Exotic

Exotic was jailed for attempting to have Baskin murdered.

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Carole Baskin

Tiger King star Carole Baskin said she is “thankful” her rival Joe Exotic was not granted a pardon by Donald Trump.

Mr Trump, the now-former US president, issued a flurry of pardons in his final hours in office, with ex-advisor Steve Bannon included on the list.

However Exotic, the flamboyant big cat enthusiast from Netflix’s wildly popular docuseries Tiger King, was not granted clemency despite a high-profile campaign from his legal team.

Tiger King star Joe Exotic
Tiger King star Joe Exotic will remain behind bars after Donald Trump refused to pardon him (Netflix/PA)

He is serving a 22-year sentence for breaching wildlife laws and plotting to have animal rights campaigner Baskin murdered.

Baskin, 59, welcomed the news Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, will stay behind bars.

She wrote on social media: “I am thankful that Joe Schreibvogel Maldonado Passage was not granted a pardon.”

Baskin said a notice she received from the prison system appeared to say Exotic has had an extra month added to his sentence for not obeying prison rules.

She also suggested he should follow the lead of another Tiger King star, Mario Tabraue, and give evidence in order to take years off his sentence.

Baskin said: “If Joe really had a change of heart, he could do what Mario Tabraue did to lessen his 100 year drug trafficking conviction to 12 years by turning state’s evidence against the other animal exploiters.”

Exotic, a mulleted, gun-toting polygamist, bred big cats while presiding over a zoo in Oklahoma.

The 57-year-old maintains his innocence. He is due to be freed in 2037 though his defence team argues he will likely die in prison if not released earlier due to health concerns.

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