“Tiger King” Star Jeff Lowe Says He Will Claim Body Of Zookeeper Erik Cowie

BYHayley Hynes65.5K Views
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Jeff Lowe Tiger King
Erik Cowie reportedly doesn’t have any living family, meaning his body would end up in a mass grave if not claimed.

One of the definitive markers of the early days of the pandemic was the Tiger King craze that blew across social media. The Netflix original docuseries followed controversial big cat keeper, politician, and now, prisoner, Joe Exotic.

The series also introduced us to other figures such as Carole Baskin, Bhagavan Antle, and Erik Cowie, who was tragically discovered dead in a friend’s New York apartment last week.

According to TMZ, Cowie, who worked for Exotic as a zookeeper, has no living family, meaning that his body could end up in a mass grave if not claimed by anyone.

In instances like this, New York law says that a close friend is able to claim remains. Unfortunately for Cowie, his pal Joe Exotic is still locked up in prison, but another Tiger King star has stepped up to the plate.

TMZ reports that Jeff Lowe and his wife Lauren will be taking their friend’s body back to their zoo in Thackerville, Oklahoma, where they intend to give him a proper send-off.

Apparently, the couple is even considering live streaming the memorial service via Facebook so that friends and fans (Cowie became a fan favourite quickly after the series was released) can say their goodbyes.

The Lowe’s plan to spread Cowie’s ashes beside those of his favourite Liger, named Django, who passed away last year.

The zookeeper was just 53 years old. RIP.

[Via]


About The Author
Hayley Hynes is the former Weekend Managing Editor of HotNewHipHop, she stepped down after two years in 2024 to pursue other creative opportunities but remains on staff part-time to cover music, gossip, and pop culture news. Currently, she contributes similar content on Blavity and 21Ninety, as well as on her personal blog where she also offers tarot/astrology services. Hayley resides on the western side of Canada, previously spending a year in Vancouver to study Fashion Marketing at Blanche Macdonald Centre and Journalism at Mount Royal University in Calgary before that. She's passionate about helping others heal through storytelling, and shares much more about her life on Instagram @hayleyhynes.
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