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Everyone on ‘Tiger King’ Is Bonkers. Is a Parasite to Blame?
A scientist discusses Toxoplasma — a possible cause for the bizarre behaviors
The following article contains minor spoilers for the Netflix docuseries Tiger King.
“Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness is a docuseries on Netflix that is taking the (currently house-bound) world by storm. The story lifts the veil on the surprisingly nefarious world of collecting and exhibiting big cats, such as tigers and lions. But it’s not only the adorable cubs or awe-inspiring power of the adult cats that make people tune into the show: It’s the bizarre behavior of nearly everyone involved in this enterprise. What could it be about the big cat business that seems to attract or produce such peculiar characters?
The answer may lie in the cats themselves, or more precisely, their feces. All cat species support the sexual stage of a single-celled parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. Consequently, cats excrete billions of infectious oocysts into the environment when they acquire Toxoplasma. Other animals, including people, can then become infected with the parasite after they inhale or accidentally ingest these oocysts.
Many of the behaviors that got Joe into trouble turn up in psychiatric surveys…
