Joe Exotic’s Former Associate Ryan Easley Dead After Being Mauled by Tiger Mid-Show

Ryan Easley, a former associate of Joe Exotic of Tiger King fame, is dead after being mauled by a tiger.

Easley was doing a show for Growler Pines Tiger Preserve in Hugo, Oklahoma, on Saturday, September 20, when the tiger he was working with attacked him, according to Choctaw County Sheriff Terry Park who spoke with TMZ.

The tiger allegedly grabbed Easley around the neck before biting him and shaking him violently. Authorities responded to a call about a tiger attacking its handler and Easley was pronounced dead shortly after.

Exotic, 62, offered his condolences to Easley’s family in a message shared via X.

“First of all I would like to send my prayers to Ryan Easley’s family for their loss. I have known Ryan for many years,” he wrote. “He built a large compound on the back side of my zoo to house his Tigers during the winter one year about 15 or so years ago.”

He continued, “No one can blame the tiger for what happened. We all take risk in what we do and we don’t need further laws to ban tigers because of this because you can get killed doing just about anything.”

Exotic concluded his message by asking for support regarding a lawsuit he allegedly filed against “a GFAS facility called Black Pines [which] will set the stage to make everyone play by the same rules including PeTA and the AZA along with the GFAS or it will end the fight of American tigers being on the endangered species act.”

The Growler Pines Tiger Preserve also posted a message about Easley’s death on social media.

“It is with profound sorrow that we confirm the tragic loss of Ryan Easley, who lost his life in an accident involving a tiger under his care at the Growler Pines Tiger Preserve on September 20th, 2025,” the organization said in a statement via Facebook on Sunday, September 21. “Ryan was a passionate advocate for wildlife conservation. His love for animals, especially Big Cats, was evident in every aspect of his life.”