What *Really* Happened to Kelci "Saff" Saffery's Arm in 'The Tiger King'

Apr. 8 2020, Updated 5:09 p.m. ET

If you already binged all of Netflix's latest true crime docuseries, Tiger King, then you know how many twists and turns it has. The Tiger King, which unearths Joe Exotic's wild world of exotic cat gathering, fraud, and murder, is just as addicting as it is overwhelming — there are simply so many other people concerned. Everyone from Joe, to his more than one husbands, to more than a few different private zookeepers across the country, to animal activist Carole Baskin, to Joe's own zoo staff, it's exhausting to keep monitor.

While many of the key players are downright detestable (lookin' at you, Jeff Lowe, Tim Stark, and Doc Antle), there are a couple of who've in reality received over our hearts. And that comes with Kelci "Saff" Saffery, considered one of Joe's zoo keepers at GW Zoo. 

In The Tiger King, Saff is depicted as in point of fact being an animal lover who did not want anything to do with Joe's drama or how the entirety at GW Zoo ended up happening. And his (it's been pointed out that Saff is going via he/his on Twitter) devotion to the zoo and its animals is one thing that everybody is speaking about, mainly, how he was attacked by means of a tiger and went again to work just days later.

What happened to Saff's arm in 'The Tiger King'?

At the time, Saff was 27 years old. He reached his arm into the tiger enclosure and one of the most tigers went for his arm, most likely out of intuition. Though the tiger launched his arm, the wear was once executed. He had to be rushed to the sanatorium. The damage to his arm was once so critical, the docs instructed Saff that he would have to undergo a couple of advanced surgical procedures, and it would take two years of reconstructive surgery  prior to he was completely healed. Saff chose, as a substitute, to simply get it amputated. 

In order to avoid the media circus that was once blaming Joe and the zoo for the twist of fate, Saff went back to work five days after his amputation to turn out some degree. He took complete ownership of what happened, announcing that it was in truth his own fault the tiger attacked him. Regardless of what had happened, Saff did not blame the tiger or Joe. In reality, he advised Joe that he was once sorry for the difficulty he brought about him, since he knew that he dealt with sufficient problems already. 

According to The Daily Mail, Saff said, "I broke protocol and stuck my hand in a cat cage instead of using the stick provided. The cat let go and pushed my arm back through the cage. This tiger was not aggressive towards me. I hope for a healthy recovery so I can return to work everyday with my tigers. And according to Joe himself, the tiger was not put down because he says the accident was not the tiger's fault. You can watch an episode of Joe's Exotic TV that covered the event:

Saff shared that he had been working on getting a prosthetic arm (his insurance didn't cover it) and the hospital bills set him back $1,300. It's unknown whether he was finally able to get his prosthetic arm (hopefully so, after the success of The Tiger King).

Where did Saff come from?

We know that Saff was born in Hawaii and is an Army veteran. According to Men's Health, he spent time in Afghanistan and Iraq, and sadly lost both of his parents while he was in the Army. He found his way to Joe and his zoo since he's always loved tigers and wild animals.

Where is Saff now?

Not much is known about what Saff is up to now, but his LinkedIn does state that he's still at GW Zoo (which has been renamed to The Oklahoma Zoo). He's been promoted to park manager, which is well deserved, considering how loyal he's been to the zoo and the animals. We hope that new park owner Jeff Lowe has kept him on and treated him well. 

Netflix, you might be indubitably getting Saff a brand new arm, proper? The Tiger King is streaming on Netflix now.

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