#Cancer may have spread to pelvis, stomach

The star of “Tiger King,” Joe Exotic, has not received any treatment for his prostate cancer in months — while sitting in prison for his involvement in a murder-for-hire plot — but the 58-year-old revealed that his cancer may have spread to his pelvis and stomach.

Exotic told the Sun that he will refuse medical help if the disease progresses to stage three or four, claiming that he’s “ready to die.” Exotic revealed in May that he was suffering from prostate cancer but had not received treatment while doing his time in a Fort Worth, Texas, prison.

“I have been waiting for a colonoscopy and endoscopy since October. Medical treatment in a prison is worse than at any humane society for dogs,” he told the outlet.

Exotic said he has experienced hip and pelvis pain, and for over a year, his stomach has hurt, and he walks with a limp. He intends to get a biopsy for his prostate and bladder, a colonoscopy and an endoscopy while at a specialist medical center.

“The prison has approved testing to verify what stage it is in,” he wrote in May. “My body is tired, I have lost a tremendous amount of weight, the mouth sores are out of control, I throw up more than I eat.

“This is crazy how they put people in here and just let you die,” he told the Sun. “The things that I’ve seen and the dead people I’ve seen wheeled out of here is outrageous and it’s time that our president and our politicians hear the truth.”

Exotic was found guilty of participating in a murder-for-hire plot against fellow “Tiger King” star Carole Baskin. He was also convicted of 17 federal charges of animal abuse, including killing tigers at his exotic animal park.

The “Tiger King” star — whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage — was sentenced in January 2020 to 22 years in a federal lockup.

Exotic has always maintained his innocence. He unsuccessfully sought a pardon from former President Donald Trump. A group of lawyers called Team Tiger has been trying to secure his release.

A three-judge panel in Denver’s Court of Appeals ruled that the original sentence was issued using the wrong sentencing guidelines. The proper sentencing range should have been between 17 ½ to under 22 years, not just under 22 years to 27 years in prison, according to the panel.