Carole Baskin could have a lot more cool cats and kittens in her possession now that a judge has awarded her control of Joe Exotic’s zoo.
On Monday, a federal judge in Oklahoma ruled in favor of Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue Corp. in her trademark and copyright infringement lawsuit against the Greater Wynnewood Development Group, a company once owned by the self-proclaimed “Tiger King,”according to CNN.
The order, which caps a longstanding struggle depicted in the popular Netflix documentary series “Tiger King,” gives Baskin control of about 16 acres in Garvin County, Oklahoma, used for an animal park and its array of big cats.
The order requires Greater Wynnewood Development Group to “vacate the Zoo Land premises within 120 days of service of this Order.” It adds: “Vacation of premises shall also require removal of all zoo animals from the Zoo Land.”
The order does not specify what should happen to the animals, The Associated Press reported.
Baskin sued Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage) for the infringements and won a $1 million civil judgment against him. Monday’s ruling determined that ownership of the zoo was fraudulently transferred to Maldonado-Passage’s mother in an attempt to avoid paying the judgment and awarded the property to Baskin’s Big Cat Rescue.
A lawyer representing Jeff Lowe, the park’s current owner, told CNN the judgment was not unexpected. Lowe will not challenge the ruling, he said.
Instead, Lowe is planning to open a new Tiger King Park in Thackerville, Oklahoma, by the end of the year.
Kitty Block, president and CEO of the Humane Society of the United States, hailed the judge’s decision.
“It is justice for Carole Baskin and accredited sanctuaries that put animal welfare first,” Block said in a statement. “The Humane Society of the United States urges that the animals at GW be transferred to proper sanctuaries so that they will never suffer again at the hands of unqualified hucksters like Jeff Lowe and Joe Exotic who kept and exploited these abused animals in substandard filthy conditions.”
Maldonado-Passage, currently serving a 22-year federal prison term for killing five tigers and plotting the unsuccessful contract murder of Baskin, had a different reaction on Tuesday morning, according to a tweet sent from his Twitter account.
Carole Baskin taking my zoo is a tragedy. And we'll get to that. But today is a day to stand in solidarity with those that have been hurt, killed, and worse because they're standing up for what they believe in. Stay strong. #blackouttuesdaypic.twitter.com/IB0hMVDl5c
One of two white lions, newly arrived in Pakistan from Belgium, sits in a cage of the municipal zoo in Karachi on July 17, 2012. The city's municipality has bought a pair of Bengal Tigers and White Lions, which are being temporarily kept in the zoological garden, before they are shifted to the city's safari park to enhance public interest in nature. AFP PHOTO/ Asif HASSAN (Photo credit should read ASIF HASSAN/AFP/GettyImages)
Lion mother Princess licks one of her wh
Lion mother Princess licks one of her white lion babies on July 17, 2012 in Kempten, southern Germany. Lion mother Princess gave birth to six white lion cubs on July 11, 2012 at the Circus Krone. AFP PHOTO / TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT/AFP/GettyImages)
A white lion baby is pictured in its enc
A white lion baby is pictured in its enclosure on July 17, 2012 in Kempten, southern Germany. Lion mother Princess gave birth to six white lion cubs on July 11, 2012 at the Circus Krone. AFP PHOTO / TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT/AFP/GettyImages)
Three white lion babies are pictured in
Three white lion babies are pictured in their enclosure on July 17, 2012 in Kempten, southern Germany. Lion mother Princess gave birth to six white lion cubs on July 11, 2012 at the Circus Krone. AFP PHOTO / TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read TOBIAS KLEINSCHMIDT/AFP/GettyImages)
Tembo, a white lion, roars in the FURESA
Tembo, a white lion, roars in the FURESA park zoo in the town of Jayaque, 40 km west of San Salvador on June 8, 2012. The Wild Reserve Foundation (FURESA) built a zoo park in a former coffee plantation. AFP PHOTO/Jose CABEZAS (Photo credit should read Jose CABEZAS/AFP/GettyImages)
Tembo, a white lion, does its toilette i
Tembo, a white lion, does its toilette in the FURESA park zoo in the town of Jayaque, 40 km west of San Salvador on June 8, 2012. The Wild Reserve Foundation (FURESA) built a zoo park in a former coffee plantation. AFP PHOTO/Jose CABEZAS (Photo credit should read Jose CABEZAS/AFP/GettyImages)
White lions from South Africa are seen i
White lions from South Africa are seen in their snow-covered enclosure at the Parc Safari in Hemmingford, Quebec, Canada on January 26, 2012. Despite the cold, the lions have adjusted to the Canadian winter, according to Parc Safari Director Sophie Robidoux. AFP PHOTO/MICHEL VIATTEAU (Photo credit should read MICHEL VIATTEAU/AFP/Getty Images)
Young white lions Kleopatra (L) and Samu
Young white lions Kleopatra (L) and Samuel (R) play in the zoo of Tbilisi on October 1, 2011. AFP PHOTO / VANO SHLAMOV (Photo credit should read VANO SHLAMOV/AFP/Getty Images)
A white lion at Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen
A white lion at Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen stands on a wooden bridge whilst holding a rabbit skin filled with meat on August 19, 2011. The lions are being fed the fake prey to stimulate and develop their natural instincts. AFP PHOTO / ANP ROBERT VOS netherlands out - belgium out (Photo credit should read ROBERT VOS/AFP/Getty Images)
Four white lions come outside for the fi
Four white lions come outside for the first time after 10 weeks in quarantaine in Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, the Netherlands, about 90 km southeast of Amsterdam, on February 11, 2011. The lions are descendants of the rare white lions in the Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa. The male, Credo, is seven months old and the females, Ilanga, Bhandura and Luna, are ten months old. AFP PHOTO/ANP/ROBIN UTRECHT netherlands out - belgium out (Photo credit should read ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images)
Three of four white lions that came outs
Three of four white lions that came outside for the first time after 10 weeks in quarantaine play in their section of the Ouwehands Zoo in Rhenen, the Netherlands, about 90 km southeast of Amsterdam, on February 11, 2011. The lions are descendants of the rare white lions in the Timbavati Game Reserve in South Africa. The male, Credo, is seven months old and the females, Ilanga, Bhandura and Luna, are ten months old. AFP PHOTO/ANP/ROBIN UTRECHT netherlands out - belgium out (Photo credit should read ROBIN UTRECHT/AFP/Getty Images)
A pair of white lions is pictured at the
A pair of white lions is pictured at the Lion Park in Ceperdown, some 80 kilometers west of Durban on June 20, 2010. AFP PHOTO / Aris Messinis (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
A pair of white lions is pictured at the
A pair of white lions is pictured at the Lion Park in Ceperdown, some 80 kilometers west of Durban on June 20, 2010. AFP PHOTO / Aris Messinis (Photo credit should read ARIS MESSINIS/AFP/Getty Images)
The white lions "Snoary"(R) and "Kotenay
The white lions 'Snoary'(R) and 'Kotenay' (C) lie next to 'Brooks' for the first time in their 'drive through' enclosure at the Serengeti animal park in Hodenhagen, northern Germany on March 30, 2010. The three white lions arrived at the zoo mid January 2010 from South Africa. AFP PHOTO DDP/ STEFAN SIMONSEN GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read STEFAN SIMONSEN/AFP/Getty Images)
The white lions "Snoary" (R) and "Kotena
The white lions 'Snoary' (R) and 'Kotenay' lie for the first time in their 'drive through' enclosure at the Serengeti animal park in Hodenhagen, northern Germany on March 30, 2010. Three white lions arrived at the zoo mid January 2010 from South Africa. AFP PHOTO DDP/ STEFAN SIMONSEN GERMANY OUT (Photo credit should read STEFAN SIMONSEN/AFP/Getty Images)
In this photo made Tuesday, July 17, 2012, Yalta Zoo Director Oleg Zubkov holds a white lion cub in Yalta, the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine. Five white lion cubs were born in the Crimea two weeks ago, three of them in a safari park and two in the Yalta Zoo. They are brought up together at the Yalta Zoo. Cubs have no names but they will be named in a few months when they grow up. (AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov)
In this photo made Tuesday, July 17, 2012, a white lion cub is during feeding time in the Yalta Zoo in Yalta, the Crimean Peninsula, Ukraine. Five white lion cubs were born in the Crimea two weeks ago, three of them in a safari park and two in the Yalta Zoo. They are brought up together at the Yalta Zoo. Cubs have no names but they will be named in a few months when they grow up. (AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov)
A two-day-old white lion cub playing with its mother Sumba, in Belgrade Zoo, Serbia, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. Serbia, Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The four white lions cubs, an extremely rare subspecies of the African lion were recently born in Belgrade Zoo. White lions are unique to the Timbavati area of South Africa and are not albinos but a genetic rarity. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
A two-day-old white lion cub playing with its mother Sumba, in Belgrade Zoo, Serbia, Thursday, Dec. 22, 2011. Serbia, Wednesday, April 20, 2011. The four white lions cubs, an extremely rare subspecies of the African lion were recently born in Belgrade Zoo. White lions are unique to the Timbavati area of South Africa and are not albinos but a genetic rarity. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
Two-month old white tiger cubs are seen at the Attica Zoological Park in Spata, near Athens, Friday, June 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
Two-month old white tiger cubs roar at the Attica Zoological Park in Spata, near Athens, Friday, June 29, 2012. (AP Photo/Thanassis Stavrakis)
A white tiger cub is nursed from a bottle by a Zoo worker in the Ukraine's biggest zoo in the Black Sea resort city Yalta, Friday, May 11, 2012. A beautiful white tiger that became a symbol of Yulia Tymoshenko's presidential campaign has returned to the spotlight by giving birth to four cubs, including a rare albino one. Tigryulia, a 3-year-old white Bengal tiger successfully delivered the cubs, but has been reluctant to nurse them, apparently distracted by zoo visitors and her partner, a 6-year-old tiger from France named Patrice. (AP Photo/ Andrew Lubimov)
In this handout photo provided by Skazka Zoo, taken May 6, 2012, a female white albino tiger, Tigryulia is seen with her newborn cub at the Skazka Zoo in Yalta, Ukraine. The tiger gave birth to four cubs, including a rare albino tiger. A beautiful white tigress was the symbol of Yulia Tymoshenko's presidential election campaign, representing her ferocious resolve. (AP Photo/Skazka Zoo)
Tigryulia, a 3-year-old white Bengal tiger is seen in the Ukraine's biggest zoo in the Black Sea resort city Yalta, Friday, May 11, 2012. A beautiful white tiger that became a symbol of Yulia Tymoshenko's presidential campaign has returned to the spotlight by giving birth to four cubs, including a rare albino one. (AP Photo/Andrew Lubimov)
In this handout photo provided by Skazka Zoo, taken May 6, 2012, a female white albino tiger, Tigrylia is seen with her newborn cub at the Skazka Zoo in Yalta, Ukraine. Tiger gave birth to four cubs, including a rare albino tiger. A beautiful white tigress was the symbol of Yulia Tymoshenko's presidential election campaign, representing her ferocious resolve. (AP Photo/Skazka Zoo)
White Bengal tiger yawns at the Dusit Zoo in Bangkok, Thailand Wednesday, March 14, 2012. (AP Photo/Sakchai Lalit)
Khushi, a white tigress, plays with her newborn cub at the state zoological park in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Khush gave birth to three cubs on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Khushi, a white tigress, rests with her newborn cub at the state zoological park in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Khush gave birth to three cubs on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
Khushi, a white tigress, rests with her newborn cubs at the state zoological park in Gauhati, India, Saturday, Feb. 11, 2012. Khush gave birth to three cubs on Jan. 6. (AP Photo/Anupam Nath)
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in the Zoological Gardens in Colombo on March 2, 2010. A pair of tigers were presented by The Chinese government to the Sri Lankan zoo as a mark of friendship. February 14, 2010 marked the start of 'The Year of the Tiger' according to the Lunar Calendar. AFP PHOTO/Ishara S.KODIKARA (Photo credit should read Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) stands o
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) stands on a rock in the Zoological Gardens in Colombo on March 2, 2010. A pair of tigers were presented by The Chinese government to the Sri Lankan zoo as a mark of friendship. February 14, 2010 marked the start of 'The Year of the Tiger' according to the Lunar Calendar. AFP PHOTO/Ishara S.KODIKARA (Photo credit should read Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in the Zoological Gardens in Colombo on March 2, 2010. A pair of tigers were presented by The Chinese government to the Sri Lankan zoo as a mark of friendship. February 14, 2010 marked the start of 'The Year of the Tiger' according to the Lunar Calendar. AFP PHOTO/Ishara S.KODIKARA (Photo credit should read Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in
A White Tiger (Panthera Tigris) walks in the Zoological Gardens in Colombo on March 2, 2010. A pair of tigers were presented by The Chinese government to the Sri Lankan zoo as a mark of friendship. February 14, 2010 marked the start of 'The Year of the Tiger' according to the Lunar Calendar. AFP PHOTO/Ishara S.KODIKARA (Photo credit should read Ishara S.KODIKARA/AFP/Getty Images)
INDIA-ZOO-TIGER
A White Tiger stands in a pool in an enclosure at The Zoological Park in New Delhi, 28 July 2007. White tigers are individual specimens of the ordinary orange tiger (Panthera tigris), with a genetic condition that causes paler colouration of the normally orange fur (they still have black stripes). The 214 acres National Zoological Park established in 1959 in the Indian capital is a home to more than 2000 species of animals and birds from Africa, America, Australia and Asia. AFP PHOTO/ MANAN VATSYAYANA (Photo credit should read MANAN VATSYAYANA/AFP/Getty Images)
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