I know I'm late to the party, but I just finished this over the weekend, and I have a lot of problems with it. My main problem is that I think the filmmakers were morally unscrupulous and did a real disservice to Carole Baskin by equating her with the likes of Joe Schreibvogel and Kevin Antle. The latter two are repugnant, exploitative cult leaders who breed, abuse, and cull animals when it suits them financially, and manipulate vulnerable, desperate barely legal teenagers into sexual relationships by plying them with drugs and/or attention. Baskin is running a legitimate, accredited cat rescue that is well-regarded by animal rights organizations, and has been advocating for ending the exotic animal trade. She is in no way equal to the other two. And yet, the filmmakers expertly edited and juxtaposed interviews, clips, and music to convey that she is just as morally bankrupt as the others.
The entire internet has erupted in "that female dog, Carole Baskin, killed her husband." She has received death threats and had drones flying over the rescue. There is no evidence she killed Don Lewis. This was an unfounded theory perpetuated by Schreibvogel and Lewis' ex-family. The man was likely implicated in the drug trade and likely offed by a cartel. He had a history of shady dealings (two non-U.S. passports in addition to his U.S. one, buying planes with cash, flying without a license, regular trips to Costa Rica for "business" and prostitutes, etc.), picked Baskin up on a street well-known for prostitution, took advantage of his 14-year-old first wife and dumped her and his family like an old handbag, unscrupulous breeding practices, etc. He could have died any number of ways, considering how recklessly he lived. Schreibvogel is documented with actually attempting to get a hired hit on her, sexual exploitation of three men young enough to be his sons, animal abuse, and exploitation of his workers. Yet, I don't see anywhere near as much hatred lodged against him. Or Antle.
This documentary's popularity seems to be predicated entirely on allowing people feel superior to the human trash on display here. I've come across so many self-satisfied people acting like "Carole Baskin definitely killed her husband" as if this was some realization they came to on their own. No, you didn't come to that conclusion on your own: you only think that because this reality show literally spoon-fed you that theory with basic cable-level editing. It's a toxic freak show of a series that's the work of people who have no moral scruples about anything, including the animals. I was really disappointed how little this series seemed to care about the animal abuse in these parks, but given their flippant, one-sided treatment of Baskin's efforts to have these parks closed, I shouldn't be surprised.
Updated On: 4/21/20 at 02:40 PM
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