Breaking: ‘Tiger King’ Star Doc Antle Arrested By FBI
Antle, who has been described as “the real kingpin” behind tiger exploitation in the U.S., has been jailed on suspected money laundering charges.
Doc Antle in the Netflix show Tiger King. Credit: Netflix
Private zoo owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who featured in the hit Netflix show Tiger King, has been arrested by the FBI and currently remains in jail, according to the local sheriff’s office.
Antle, who has been described as “the real kingpin” behind tiger exploitation in the U.S. and has millions of followers across TikTok and Instagram, was arrested Friday afternoon in South Carolina.
No charges have yet been disclosed, but a source close to the matter told press that Antle is due to appear in court Monday, on charges related to federal money laundering.
The charges could be related to a so-called charity ‘scam’, that People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) had accused Antle of earlier this year. PETA had alerted the IRS to Antle’s Rare Species Fund, a tax-exempt nonprofit which supposedly raises money for wildlife conservation - but funds were allegedly funnelled to Antle’s own roadside zoo instead.
“It’s fitting that “Doc” Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops. His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent ‘charity’ scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can’t come soon enough,” Debbie Metzler, associate director of PETA’s Captive Animal Law Enforcement division, said in a statement.
Antle, 62, is already facing separate legal action in Virginia, where he has been indicted on 15 charges that include wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty involving lions.
Antle has been one of the most vocal voices against the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a proposed legislation which seeks to protect captive animals by outlawing direct contact between the public and big cats. Now his arrest could signal that the U.S. is one step closer to addressing its “tiger problem”.
“I believe that Joe Schreibvogel [Joe Exotic] was the largest producer of cubs for the pay to play industry, but I think the real kingpin behind this kind of exploitation has been Kevin Bhagavan ‘doc’ Antle”, Carole Baskin, owner of the Big Cat Rescue sanctuary in Florida, previously told The Sun.
"He's just smarter and better funded than the dominos that have dropped already, but the authorities have finally caught up to him”, she added.
The U.S. Has A Tiger Problem
Whilst there are now twenty-one states that prohibit the keeping of dangerous exotic pets such as big cats, there is currently no U.S. federal law concerning big cat ownership.
However, campaigners are currently trying to pass the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a legislation which seeks to protect these captive animals by outlawing direct contact between the public and big cats.
With around 5,000 captive tigers in the U.S., this act has the potential to help protect big cats by outlawing backyard captive big cat collectors and inhumane cub handling exhibits. Campaigners are urging the public to ask their Member of Congress to support the Big Cat Public Safety Act - you can find out how you can do so here.
To find out more about what happened after the credits rolled on Netflix’s Tiger King series, listen to our podcast episode “Where Are They Now? The Fallen Stars Of Tiger King”, where we chat with journalist and author Sharon Guynup, who has spent years investigating and reporting on the U.S.’s tiger problem.
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The footage was reportedly recorded at Marshall BioResources in North Rose, New York, where up to 22,000 dogs - mostly beagles - are being bred for animal experimentation.