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Keighley Cougars have the backing of Tiger King star Carole Baskin

The big cat rights activist was one of the stars of the Netflix show.

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Tiger King star Carole Baskin’s love of big cats now extends to the Keighley Cougars.

The League One rugby league club have had a shout out from Baskin, who featured in the cult Netflix hit which was released just before the UK went into lockdown because of the coronavirus pandemic.

Baskin said: “Hey all you cool cats and kittens, it’s Carole Baskin from Big Cat Rescue.

“I wanted to put a phrase on a T-shirt which said ‘When You Become Fearless You Become Limitless’ and out of all the pictures I could have chosen from, I chose a picture of a cougar.

“And there’s probably no sport on the planet that is tougher than rugby, so you Keighley Cougars are some really tough cats. You are legends to be contended with and I give a huge shout-out to all you guys who are sticking tough through everything that’s going on right now in the town of Keighley and the Keighley Cougars.

“I don’t know if your events have been cancelled like they have in other places but I think when you guys hit the dirt again it is going to be like nothing anybody has ever seen before. Stay cool cats.”

Baskin was the arch enemy of the show’s main protagonist, Joe Exotic, who ran a tiger sanctuary in Oklahoma. Baskin became the legal owner of the sanctuary in a court ruling last month.

Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is currently serving a 22-year sentence for his involvement in a plot to murder Baskin.

The Rugby Football League board met last week but delayed a decision on when League One competition should restart amid the Covid-19 outbreak.

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