Erik Cowie Wiki – Erik Cowie Biography
According to the New York Medical Examiner, Erik Cowie, a zookeeper featured in Netflix’s Tiger King, died Sept. 3 from acute and chronic alcohol abuse.
The cause of death for Cowie, who appeared on Netflix’s “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” has been determined.
The former head zookeeper of Joe Exotic’s now-defunct G.W. Zoo died naturally from acute and chronic alcohol use. On Sept. 3, Julie Bolcer from the NYC Office of Chief Medical Examiner confirmed.
Age
He was 52 years old.
Erik Cowie Death/Cause of Death
Cowie was found dead Friday at 5:30 p.m. local time in a bedroom inside a Brooklyn apartment building. Although his identity was not immediately made public by police, NBC‘s local New York affiliate confirmed the identity with NYPD today.
A representative from the Medical Examiner’s office said the cause and manner of death are pending further studies following the examination.
Career
Cowie is credited as Head Keeper at the self-proclaimed “Tiger King” Joe Exotic’s now-defunct G.W. Exotic Animal Zoo in Wynnewood, OK. Where he worked directly with the wildcats, he worked at the zoo for five years.
Cowie appeared on Netflix’s wild true-crime docuseries, which premiered in March 2020 at the beginning of COVID-19 lockdowns in the U.S. and attracted millions of viewers.
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“Tiger King” explores the life of Joe Exotic (real name Joseph Maldonado-Passage), a man with an affinity for big cats, blond mullets, guns, and explosives, his Oklahoma park (referred to as the G.W. Zoo), his hatred for Big Cat Rescue CEO Carole Baskin and an assortment of other equally eccentric side characters.
Joe Exotic is serving 22 years in federal prison for his role in a failed murder-for-hire plot targeting Baskin and violating federal wildlife laws, including killing five tigers and selling lion and tiger cubs.
Cowie worked at the G.W. Zoo for five years after discovering the job listing on Craigslist, and he revealed in the Netflix documentary: “Look at me now. I’m doing tiger shows.”
“I’m kind of embarrassed to say it, but when I got here, I was on kind of the end of my ropes,” he said. “I found this place on Craigslist and I was like, ‘Man! I’ve never done this (expletive) before. What the (expletive)? Let’s go!'”
