The coronavirus has been turning everything upside down, as people attempt to stay safe and healthy amid the pandemic. This includes the stars of television shows. Doc Antle, one of the many real-life figures featured in the smash-hit Netflix documentary, Tiger King, is one of the people taking precautions. Now, he's shared what he's doing to protect his tigers from COVID-19. But how do you keep those enormous feline safe during a time like this?
Doc Antle explained to TMZ that Myrtle Beach Safari has been on lockdown since the government instituted stay-at-home orders and social distancing guidelines. As a result the staff has also been in quarantine, while specific caretakers tend to the animals. This means the tigers are still getting regular baths and cleaning.
In the event one of the tigers gets the coronavirus, Doc Antle said that he plans to put them in isolation for two weeks. The Tiger King star also stressed that the chances of that happening would be low. All in all, he seems to be pretty upbeat when it comes to his tigers’ chances against the coronavirus.
News of Doc Antle's coronavirus practices coincides with the news of a new Tiger King episode arriving on Netflix this week. That original announcement came from Antle’s fellow Tiger King star Jeff Lowe. If it does happen, is there a chance it'll address Doc Antle’s coronavirus prevention plans for his tigers? It wouldn't be entirely surprising if it happened. Of course, no one knows what the purported new episode would be about.
Shifting back to Doc Antle, his actions represent a serious approach to this growing pandemic. Just this week, a tiger being housed at the Bronx Zoo contracted the virus but is said to be doing well. The world will have to wait for further updates when it comes to Doc Antle's tigers. Interestingly, this isn't the first time the coronavirus and Tiger King have appeared in the same sentence.
Recently, it was reported that the currently-incarcerated star of Tiger King, Joe Exotic, had been put into coronavirus quarantine inside the prison. To be clear, it was merely a preventive measure, as Exotic, who says he's “crazy” as ever, has not been diagnosed with the coronavirus.
It's also important to note that Doc Antle is not accepting visitors amid the coronavirus reaction. Tiger King arrived on the streaming giant as preventive coronavirus measures were being put into place across the country. So has Myrtle Beach Safari yet to feel the full fallout from the Netflix doc?
Regardless, it hasn't stopped viewers from taking in every moment of the docuseries, which features Doc Antle weighing in on Joe Exotic and his tiger business. A Tiger King has become so popular that even Jared Leto had a virtual viewing party following its release. Yes, it's that much of a cultural phenomenon.
With Twitter’s obsession with the series’ real-life impact, it's been a whirlwind, to say the least. Since Tiger King’s release, new leads into the mysterious disappearance of Carole Baskin’s second husband, Don Lewis, have come in. Wherever that takes investigators, Tiger King enthusiasts will have to stay tuned. But at the very least, fans don't have to worry too much about Doc Antle's tigers during these tough times.
Tiger King is now streaming on Netflix and is currently one of the streaming service's prime 2020 premieres. And if you already binged the docuseries and are looking for something new to watch, you can check out this spring’s premieres.
