Over the past few weeks, the Netflix documentary “Tiger King” has engrossed millions of people with the story of big-cat zookeeper ‘Joe Exotic’ and other conservationists who care for tigers, lions and other animals.

As the documentary series progresses, viewers learn more about the controversies, and eventually crimes, that unfold between the people involved in keeping and exhibiting exotic animals. Many in Warren County might be surprised to learn that this area is connected to the main zoo featured in the show by our own series of controversy and tragedy.

Twelve years ago, the G.W. Exotic Animal Park in Oklahoma, which is featured in “Tiger King,” received almost two dozen lions, tigers, wolves and a bear from a now-closed exotic animal facility in northern Warren County. The facility, Wesa-A-Geh-Ya animal sanctuary, closed down after a tiger attack caused a volunteer worker to lose his leg.

As The Record reported at the time, Wesa-A-Geh-Ya was a facility at odds with nearby neighbors and struggling with regulatory violations. For years it operated as a licensed zoo, where visitors could pay an admission fee to see big cats and other exotic animals in their cages.

Owners Kenneth and Sandra Smith had their zoo license revoked by the United States Department of Agriculture in 2003, following an investigation into numerous violations of the Animal Welfare Act. A 2006 USDA investigation also alleged unsafe and unsanitary conditions at the facility, and a lack of training for employees.

Even after losing its operating license, the sanctuary continued to house around 50 animals, including lions tigers, bears, wolves and a leopard.

On Aug. 3, 2008, newly recruited volunteer Jacob Barr, 26, was helping move a tiger into a holding pen. To get the tiger to move, one of the other volunteers allegedly sprayed the 800-pound animal in the face with a hose, according to a lawsuit later filed by Barr.

The tiger climbed its fence and attacked Barr, who was afterward required to have his right leg amputated just below the knee. The owners then shot and killed the tiger.

That spelled the end for Wesa-A-Geh-Ya. Warren County Sheriff Kevin Harrison told The Record at the time that the Smiths had attempted to cover up the incident by moving the tiger’s body and telling deputies the attack had been done by a loose pitbull. They were soon found out and forced to admit to what had happened, deciding then to close for good and move all the animals to new homes.

Two weeks later, a team from the G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma, of “Tiger King” fame, arrived to take possession of almost half the animals at Wesa-A-Geh-Ya. Joe Schreibvogel, who later changed his last name and is better known as ‘Joe Exotic,’ was on hand to conduct the transfer.

When asked to assess Wesa-A-Geh-Ya compared to his own facility, he’s reported as saying “There is no comparison. I don’t want to down anyone here, because I know they did the best they could. ... Ignorance was their worst enemy here.”

The Smiths later pleaded guilty to criminal charges of tampering with evidence as a result of trying to cover up the tiger attack. Jacob Barr’s lawsuit against Wesa-A-Geh-Ya was dismissed years later after the owners filed for bankruptcy.

Ironically, the “Tiger King” show documents the events leading up to Joe Exotic earning much more severe criminal charges of his own. He was convicted of attempting to hire a hitman to kill a rival big cat conservationist, and is currently serving a 22-year prison sentence.

The Record reached out to the G.W. Zoo’s current owners to ask what became of Wesa-A-Geh-Ya’s animals after the move. The owners said no information specifically about those animals is available.