Tiger King star Doc Antle Charged With Animal Cruelty and Wildlife Trafficking
Antle, who has been described as “the real kingpin” behind tiger exploitation in the U.S., becomes the latest star of the Netflix documentary to face abuse 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 indicted on 15 charges that include wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty involving lions.
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 subject of a months-long investigation by the Virginia Attorney General’s office.
On October 8, the investigation finally charged Antle with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to traffic wildlife, four misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and nine misdemeanour counts of animal cruelty.
“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, 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.
It has been a newsworthy few months for those involved in the Tiger King drama.
In August, the controversial zoo G. W. Exotic Animal Park, the focus of the 'Tiger King' series and formerly owned by Joe Exotic, closed with immediate effect after an unannounced USDA inspection found horrific animal abuse.
And just last month, three young lions from that zoo were finally rehomed at a Colorado sanctuary.
Now, with Antle the latest to face abuse charges, campaigners are hopeful that it brings the U.S. one big step closer to addressing America’s “tiger problem”.
Baskin explains that 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.
With around 5,000 captive tigers in the US, the 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.
And you can find out more about the issue by listening to our podcast episode The United States Has A Tiger Problem, where we chat with journalist and author Sharon Guynup, who has spent years investigating and reporting on tigers.
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