‘Tiger King’ Star ‘Doc’ Antle Convicted Of Wildlife Trafficking In Virginia, 119 Animals Seized

WINCHESTER, Virginia – The attorney general’s office said Tuesday that a wild animal trainer, ‘Doc’ Antle, featured in the hit Netflix series “Tiger King” was convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia.

Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a news release that Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally purchasing endangered lion kittens in Frederick County, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo. On Friday, a jury found Doc guilty of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to traffic in wildlife.

Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari, appears in the Netflix documentary miniseries “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” which focuses on tiger breeders.

According to The Winchester Star, a jury cleared Doc of five counts of animal cruelty. Judge Alexander Iden dismissed four further animal cruelty charges against Antle and all allegations against his two adult daughters.

Wild animal trainer, ‘Doc’ Antle, featured in the hit Netflix series “Tiger King,” was convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia.

Prosecutor Michelle Welch said Antle was motivated to keep a regular supply of juvenile lion cubs from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park near Winchester, referring to the agreement as a “cub pipeline” from Virginia to South Carolina.

According to Welch, when Antle and the park’s former owner, Keith Wilson, started doing business in 2015, it was still allowed to purchase and sell lions. However, after lions were declared endangered in December 2015, they could only be exchanged between zoos and wildlife preserves that were part of a well-established breeding program and had licenses. Welch reported three unlawful cub swaps in 2017, 2018, and 2019.

Antle was charged with various offenses in 2020, including felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy. In August 2019, 119 animals were taken from Wilson’s roadside zoo, including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats, and water buffalo, after a judge determined that Wilson “cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived” of necessary care.

According to Wilson, Doc paid him in advance under the guise of a contribution. Except for a 2017 transaction in which Doc sold three lynx kittens for three lion cubs, he said Antle paid $2,500 to $3,000 for each cub.

Wild animal trainer, ‘Doc’, featured in the hit Netflix series “Tiger King,” was convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia.

Wilson faces nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and ten felony counts of selling an endangered species, with a hearing scheduled for Friday.

According to defense attorney Erin Harrigan, Antle’s prosecution was politically motivated in response to a growing public uproar against wild animals being used for entertainment.

“This has been an agenda in search of a crime from the beginning of the investigation,” Harrigan explained.

Harrigan insisted that the cubs were a gift from Antle, who sent Wilson cash for a larger tiger enclosure.

“These were not sales,” stated Harrigan.

Antle, who faces up to 20 years in prison, was permitted to remain free on bond until his sentence on September 14.

SOURCE – (AP)