Joe Exotic's Former Employees Speak Out About His Obsession With Carole Baskin: 'The First Thing On His Mind Every Morning'

Some of those who were closest to Joe Exotic are speaking out about his obsession with Carole Baskin.

As you’re likely aware by now, Joseph Maldonado-Passage‘s world was chronicled in the docuseries Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, including his deep-seated hatred for the Big Cat Rescue owner.

Kelci “Saff” Saffery tells People of his former employer at the Garold Wayne Exotic Animal Memorial Park:

“Carole was the first thing on his mind every morning and the last thing on his mind every night.”

Tim Stark, a former zoo owner who was also featured in the Netflix series, explained to the outlet:

“When I first met Joe, he was all about the animals, and he was one of the most kindhearted, lovable, smartest guys in the industry. When he started doing battle with Carole, I told him he was going to get his ass kicked. He just kept going on. He didn’t listen.”

Stark added:

“Joe wanted to be the big cat and he wanted to show Carole Baskin.”

Even Mr. Exotic’s ex-husband is speaking up! John Finlay — who has had a major glow-up since leaving Joe, BTW — shared:

“Joe had a really bad hatred towards Carole Baskin and a lot of us knew it was going to head in a bad direction. A lot of people told him he needs to stop or slow down and think about what’s going on.”

As seen in the captivating series, Maldonado-Passage found himself in major debt after losing the lawsuit against Baskin in 2011, which is when things turned even darker. Mr. Stark divulged:

“Joe lost all concept of reality. From that point forward, Joe’s life was controlled by desperation to do whatever he could to protect the zoo — anything and everything.”

While his focus may have been on the zoo for some time, the Wynnewood, Oklahoma property wasn’t the main priority for long. When Exotic ran for President of the United States in the 2016 election, he really “started losing sight of what really mattered: the animals,” according to his ex-husband Finlay.

Saff echoed that sentiment, delving deeper into the feud between Joe and Carole, which supposedly began as two animal lovers “standing up for what they believed was right.” Unfortunately, things took a dark turn for the worse:

“But it started to not be about the animals. I don’t think that it was only about egos, but I do think they started to focus more on Carole and Joe and less on the bigger picture. And nothing came out of it. It’s the worst kind of love story.”

Thoughts on this wild story, Perezcious readers?? Weight in (below) in the comments with your thoughts!!

[Image via Netflix.]