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The operator of a wildlife preserve in Oklahoma is fighting back against TikTok commenters who he says misunderstand its mission and impact on animals.
Matt is the personality behind the TikTok account Nomad’s Animal Encounter (@nomadsanimalencounter). He discussed viewers’ complaints in an expletive-filled video posted last week.
The video starts with a language warning, which is necessary because the video includes a lot of profanity. It appears the man is responding to criticism in previous videos, questioning the ethics of such an establishment.
“I’m gonna talk about the animals we have at our facility,” he says. “All of our animals are deemed non-releaseable by the United States government.”
Wildlife can sometimes—due to medical issues and/or human interaction—become unable to successfully return to their native habitats. That’s where wildlife preserves, such as Nomad’s, come into play.
Example 1: Smiley the Coyote
The video cuts to the man sitting in one of the wildlife exhibits. In this case, he’s visiting a coyote named Smiley. It appears the video was sparked by a comment on another video from a woman speculating that Smiley should be put down. He explains why the non-releasable label applies to Smiley and why she deserves a life at the preserve.
“Listen here: Animals like Smiley right here—this coyote behind me—she was found after a hunter actually killed her parents,” he says. “So, her siblings were able to go back to the wild, but Smiley here was paralyzed. She couldn’t walk for a long time. So many people had to take care of her that she got imprinted on humans. So, now she plays like a dog, OK, Karen?”
He adds, “If the animals here could go back to the wild, we would choose for them to be.”
Example 2: a Pack of Rescued Foxes
Matt then addresses viewers who say that allowing people to tour the facility is animal exploitation. He explains that the preserve offers tours to help cover its extensive operational costs.
“The ones that don’t want to be bothered?” he says. “Guess what we do? We leave them the [expletive] alone, and they’re not part of the tour. You won’t bother them; you won’t disturb their peace. And if you do want to disturb them, then you’re the [expletive] problem.”
The video then cuts to a clip of the man sitting in a habitat for a pack of 12 foxes that he says the preserve acquired from the Save a Fox rescue project.
“That’s right, they came from a fur farm—which is still legal in the United States, unfortunately,” he says.
Viewers React to the Expletive-Filled Wildlife Preserve Defense
In the comments section of the video, viewers had a field day with both Matt’s language and overall message.
“This is what Steve Irwin would have been if he was in America,” wrote one person.
“Sometimes it takes strong words to really hammer the point home,” said a second person. “And I love a good sentence enhancer.”
“The coyote got me to stay, but your commentary had me coming back for more,” joked a third person.
AllHipHop contacted Matt via TikTok comment and direct message for comment.
@nomadsanimalencounter I hope you have a bad day if this is you #animals #farming #farmlife #wildlife #coyote ♬ original sound – Nomad’s Animal Encounter
