![]() ![]() The pair divorced their respective spouses and subsequently married in 1991. She became one of Lewis's many girlfriends and substantially grew his wealth by helping him buy and sell real estate in 1984. She and Lewis engaged in an affair while both were still married. ![]() She ran out of their home barefoot and met her next husband, Don Lewis, on 50th Street in Tampa. Īccording to Baskin, in 1981, when she was 19, she threw a potato at Murdock as he attempted to attack her. She became pregnant in October 1979 and daughter Jamie Veronica Murdock was born on July 16, 1980. Baskin has said that she never loved Murdock and married him only because her parents were disappointed that they had been living together outside of marriage. Personal life Relationships īaskin moved in with Michael Murdock, her boss at the Tampa department store where she worked, when she was 17. In 2020, Baskin was cast in season 29 of Dancing with the Stars. She has used social media such as Facebook and YouTube and her "The Cat Chat" podcast to promote activism against private zoos. īaskin remains the current chief executive officer of the sanctuary, which she renamed to Big Cat Rescue sometime after Lewis's disappearance in 1997. Originally, Baskin and her husband bred tiger cubs and show cats, but stopped after realising the harm it was doing the animals. The couple founded Wildlife on Easy Street, an animal sanctuary near Tampa for big cats, in 1992. In January 1991, Baskin married her second husband, Don Lewis, and joined his real estate business. To make money, she began breeding show cats and used llamas for a lawn trimming business. Career Animals Ī tiger at Baskin's animal sanctuary Big Cat Rescue in 2012Īt the age of 17, Baskin worked at a Tampa, Florida, department store. She later purchased a Datsun truck and slept in the back with her pet cat. Baskin then hitchhiked back and forth between Florida and Bangor, Maine, sleeping under parked cars. She dropped out of high school and left home with a local roller rink employee. At age 14, Baskin reports having been gang raped by three men who lived across the street from her house, claiming that she received no emotional support from her family. ![]() ![]() She expressed an interest in saving cats when she was nine, but she decided against pursuing a career in veterinary medicine after she learned that veterinarians euthanize animals. Early life Ĭarole Ann Stairs was born on June 6, 1961, on the Lackland Air Force Base in Bexar County, Texas. She and her husband Howard also appeared in the 2021 Louis Theroux documentary Shooting Joe Exotic. īaskin is also well known for her appearance on Dancing with the Stars, featuring her dancing to a cover of the song " Eye of the Tiger". Her catchphrase, "Hey all you cool cats and kittens!", also became a meme as a result of Tiger King. Baskin denied these claims in a post on Big Cat Rescue's website. Following the release of the series, Baskin received abuse online due to the third episode of the series speculating that Baskin was involved in the disappearance of Don Lewis, her second husband. She has attracted the attention of local, national and international media outlets to the plight of captive big cats.īaskin drew public attention when she was featured in the 2020 Netflix true crime documentary series Tiger King, which follows Baskin's escalating feud with Oklahoma-based private zoo owner Joe Exotic. Carole Ann Baskin (née Stairs, formerly known as Carole Murdock and Carole Lewis born June 6, 1961) is an American animal rights activist and CEO of Big Cat Rescue, a non-profit animal sanctuary based near Tampa, Florida. ![]()
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