LANSING, Mich. — There's a mid-Michigan connection to the new, popular Netflix series "Tiger King".
One of the characters, Jeff Lowe, in the series about raising big cats grew up in mid-Michigan cities such as St. Johns.
"He was a good kid he got very tied up with Evil Knievel and Robbie Knievel and he was a big, big fan of Elvis Presley," said Julianne Hebert, Lowe's aunt, on Tuesday.
That's the Jeff Lowe Hubert said she knew as he was growing up.
The same adventurous Lowe is shown in the popular documentary alongside other wild animal owners such as Joe Exotic and Carol Baskin.
The series has caught the attention of millions across the nation and tops the list of the 10 most watched series on Netflix.
Lowe got his first exotic cat when he moved to St. Johns with his first wife, Hebert said.
"There was a big farm, the barn and the little house that they moved into and he thought 'well, I've got room now I can get a wild cat,'" she said.
Lowe and his wife moved to another home in St. Johns where he got another big cat: a two-year-old cougar.
That's when she said Lowe ran into trouble with neighbors, and Clinton County.
"One of his cats killed a neighbors dog so then it just kind of hit the fan," Hebert said.
Clinton County Sheriff's Office deputies later shot and killed the cougar.
"The next thing you know, Jeff and Kathy are moving down to South Carolina," she said.
Lowe and Hebert haven't spoken in about seven years after his mom passed away, she said.
Although Hebert said she loves that she can see how Lowe is doing but has not watched the show.
"I've seen little bits and pieces of it online," she said. "I have been hearing so much from cousins down in Kentucky and cousins out in New York have been calling (asking) 'aunt Julie is this our Jeff?"
No matter what Lowe does, Hebert said Lowe will always be her nephew.
"Jeff - aunt Julie loves you and I worry about you I know God's watching over you and your mom and dad too," she said. "Please, honey, just be careful, not just with the cats but with humans you're dealing with."
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