He owned a Beaufort big cat exhibit and he recently was arrested in Las Vegas
A man who came under scrutiny in 2015 for his big cat exhibits in Beaufort was recently arrested in Las Vegas in connection to an exotic animal business, according to a Las Vegas news report from KTNV.
Former Beaufort Liquidation owner Jeff Lowe shuttered not long after controversy hit in Beaufort County.
He now runs the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park in Wynnewood, Okla. and has been operating The Jungle Bus in Las Vegas.
KTNV recently reported that a tiger, liliger and lemur were impounded after the City of Las Vegas served a search warrant at Lowe’s home in November. It states he surrendered the animals and paid $10,000 in restitution for their care in a plea deal.
Two cubs were sick when removed from the property, KTNV says vet records state. It says the animals were underweight, had severe diarrhea, urinary tract infections, giardia and pancreatic conditions.
The article states he was arrested in the spring for failing to appear for a court date in the case. It says he took a plea deal.
Lowe reportedly told KTNV that he is still operating a business with exotic pets in Las Vegas.
“He says he still rents homes here and admits bringing tiger cubs into hotel suites on the Strip, rolling them through casinos in suitcases” The KTNV article says.
The Island Packet and Beaufort Gazette reported in October that Lowe was running The Jungle Bus business. A webiste — www.thejunglebus.org — told customers they would take an hour tour to interact with baby lions and tigers, monkeys, kangaroos and other animals.
The website said customers would be taken to a “top secret hideout.”
A Facebook post from the company said it planned to expand to other cities.
“We have another bus being built for other cities,” the post said. “To all you counties and cities that impose zoning restrictions for animal based business? Try to zone a moving vehicle! You can either choose to work with me, or I’ll expose holes in your ordinances, big enough to drive a bus through.”
Last summer Lowe closed Neon Jungle OKC, according to The Oklahoman newspaper. The business was run at a mall and included a petting zoo where customers could play and take photos with tiger and bear cubs.
He told the paper he shut down because of lack of foot traffic at the mall. Not long before People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had filed complaints about the business, the newspaper said.
This story was originally published August 6, 2018 at 6:39 PM.