Are Any Animals Hurt in Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’?

True crimes and adorable animals — one would think it would be a match made in streaming heaven. But as Netflix’s disturbing Don’t F**k with Cats taught us last December, it can also be a match made in streaming hell. If you’re an animal lover wondering if you can handle Netflix’s ominously titled Tiger King, a docuseries about the crimes and bizarre lives of big cat lovers across the United States, you’ve come to the right place.

From directors Eric Goode and Rebecca Chaiklin comes this non-stop rollercoaster of lunacy. Over the course of seven hourlong episodes Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness tells the story of Joe Exotic, the eccentric former head of an exotic animals park in Oklahoma. The self-proclaimed Tiger King, Joe Exotic would often allow visitors at his park to play with tiger cubs. But it was his lifelong feud with Carole Baskin that led to his undoing.

Baskin, the founder and CEO of Big Cat Rescue, has long been an outspoken critic of Joe Exotic’s. She accused him of not giving his big cats enough space, breeding them to be sold, and often criticized him for profiting off the animals through his zoo — something that many argue she did herself. The two fought bitterly for years before it escalated into the hire of a hitman, a murder, and jail time.

But before you even think about getting into juicy details, you animal lovers need to know: are any animals hurt in Tiger King? And if so, does the docuseries show them?

The short answer to both those questions is: yes. Though obviously no animals were harmed to created this documentary, Joe Exotic’s story does involve the mistreatment and killing of animals. In an effort to depict the full emotional weight of this twisty story, Tiger King never shies away from these darker moments. Yet their portrayal is so sensitive it rarely extends past what a typical animal lover can handle.

There are four major incidents to keep in mind if you want to avoid watching any disturbing animal abuse. Keep in mind, Tiger King does still talk about the abusive behavior these animals faced, such as being fed spoiled Walmart meat, but it doesn’t show much of the mistreatment.

The first happens roughly 30 minutes into Episode 1, which mentions a news story in which a man set his private exotic animal collection free. Many of those animals, which included 18 tigers, were shot in an effort to save civilians, and photos of their bodies are shown. More graphically, Episode 2 opens on harrowing footage of one of Joe Exotic’s employees getting mauled by a tiger. Also at the end of Episode 4 there’s also footage of a man punching a tiger after the animal attacked him.

Then there’s the trial against Joe Exotic. Not to spoil too much for Episodes 6 and 7, but a major part of the charges that landed the Tiger King in jail had to do with directly harming animals. Again, these incidents are discussed but never shown on screen. If you want to gauge whether you can take that part of the series before diving in, check out the court verdict.

So yes, Tiger King on Netflix is going to make you feel bad for several tigers (as well as a few alligators). But even at its most graphic this Netflix original never feels exploitive and remains watchable for all but the most sensitive of animal lovers. Do yourself a favor and jump onboard this bonkers ride this weekend.

Watch Tiger King on Netflix