Tiger King

‘Tiger King' Zookeeper Found Dead in Brooklyn: Officials

Erik Cowie was 52

One of the zookeepers featured on the Netflix documentary series "Tiger King" has been found dead in Brooklyn, police officials tell News 4 New York.

Erik Cowie, was pronounced dead at an apartment on East 155th Street and Remsen Avenue in East Flatbush on Friday afternoon, according to officials. He was unconscious when first responders arrived on scene.

Cowie was one of the caretakers at the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, and was interviewed extensively about working with the zoo's owner, Joe Maldonado-Passage — better known as Joe Exotic.

Cowie later testified in a trial against Exotic, after Exotic was arrested in a plot to kill his rival, big-cat rights activist Carole Baskin.

Cowie later told reporters that Exotic killed tigers at the zoo, and told comedian Joel McHale during a reunion special that his old boss should never be released from prison.

"He's going to die in there," he said during the 2020 special. "So good riddance."

It's not clear how Cowie died; the city medical examiners will determine his cause of death.

Contact Us