/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/LYLBZGGRO5H4DFQ2A4GZ4WABRM.png "Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin models a leopard-print face mask. The masks are being sold to benefit big cats. Portions of the proceeds also help first-responders.")
CITRUS PARK — Calling all cool cats and kittens: There’s now a coronavirus mask out there for you.
Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin, prominently featured in Netflix’s Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, started selling face masks with her catchphrase Saturday.
The dual-layered tie masks feature the words “Hey all you cool cats and kittens” above a whiskered feline smile. Masks cost $11 each and come in black or leopard print.
The masks are being sold on tread365.com to raise money to help big cats. Portions of the proceeds also support first-responders.
Big Cat Rescue is closed to the public due to the coronavirus outbreak. A post on bigcatrescue.com said the animal rescue is losing $160,000 a month in tour revenue.
Big Cat Rescue and its founder have been the subject of much attention since being featured in Tiger King. The viral docu-series stars gun-toting Oklahoma zookeeper Joseph Maldonado-Passage, aka Joe Exotic. He was sentenced to 22 years in prison after killing five tigers and plotting to have Baskin murdered.
Baskin was not pleased with how the show portrayed the captive tiger trade. Tiger King spent much of its airtime instead focusing on whether or not Baskin was behind the disappearance of her ex-husband, Don Lewis.
“I just feel so angry that people have totally missed the point,” Baskin told Tampa Bay Times reporter Tracey McManus in the first interview since the series debuted. “And the point is, these cubs are being abused and exploited, and the public is enabling that.”
That hasn’t stopped others from cashing in on the phenomenon. Etsy is filled with Tiger King-themed face coverings, and online retailer Shut Up & Take My Money is selling its own anti-microbial micropoly fabric mask featuring Joe Exotic’s signature facial hair.
Will it be recognizable without the blonde mullet? You can find out for $18.49.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/tbt/ILXREOX3YNDF3MVUXU43GRZHQA.png "\"Wear the Tiger King on your face!\" advertises online retailer Shut Up & Take My Money. The Tiger King mask is selling for $18.49.")
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