Erik Cowie, zookeeper from Netflix series Tiger King, dies age 52

Erik Cowie, a zookeeper who featured on the hugely popular Netflix docu-series Tiger King, has died aged 52.

This is what you need to know.

Who is Erik Cowie?

Cowie was credited as a head zookeeper at Joe Exotic’s GW Zoo, and featured heavily in the Netflix series Tiger King which exploded in popularity last year.

During an episode of Tiger King, Cowie explained that he came to work at GW Zoo because he was “king of at the end of [his] rope”.

While Cowie had barely any experience working with large animals, he quickly forged a connection with the tigers.

He worked at the zoo for five years.

What happened?

Cowie was reportedly found by an acquaintance on Friday (3 September) at 5:30pm local time in the bedroom of a Brooklyn apartment building. His cause of death is currently unknown.

TMZ, which first reported the news, said that a bottle of vodka was found at the scene, but there was no drugs.

Sources told TMZ that at this point there is nothing suspicious about Cowie’s death, but a toxicology test will likely still be carried out.

According to TMZ, Cowie had faced a drink driving charge in Oklahoma earlier this year, but failed to turn up for his sentencing hearing.

The New York Police Department told Entertainment Weekly: “On September 3, 2021 at 1730 hours, police responded to a 911 call of an unconscious male inside of 21 East 55 Street in the confines of the 67 Pct.

“Upon arrival, police discovered a 52-year-old male unconscious in the bedroom of the location. EMS was on scene and pronounced the male deceased. The Medical Examiner will determine the cause of death.”

What did Cowie say about Joe Exotic?

During Exotic’s 2019 trial, Cowie testified against his former boss, alleging that Exotic had shot five tigers in order to make space for new tigers.

While Cowie only heard the shots, he said: “I knew what was going on.”

In The Tiger King and I, the special episode hosted by Joel McHale where he interviewed people from the series, Cowie expressed his regrets for working with the eccentric animal trader.

He claimed to feel guilty after he was instructed to put down animals in the zoo for no good reason.