Doc Antle

Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle (born Kevin Antle, March 25, 1960),[1] better known as Doc Antle, is an American animal trainer, private zoo operator and conservationist.[2][3] He is the founder and director of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility.[4] Antle has faced criticism from conservation organizations and animal rights groups for his treatment of animals, and in 2020 was indicted on 15 charges related to wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.[3] Despite this, he is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of the Rare Species Fund, which funds conservation projects around the world.[2][3][5]

Doc Antle
Antle at Myrtle Beach Safari in 2005
Born
Kevin Antle

(1960-03-25) March 25, 1960
Salinas, California, United States
OccupationBusinessman
Known forTiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness

Career
Bhagavan Antle with his liger

In 2001, Antle was on stage with Britney Spears during her performance of the "I'm a Slave 4 U" single at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, which featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over Spears' shoulders.[6] Antle has other ties to the film industry, having worked as an animal handler on films such as Dr. Dolittle and Ace Ventura: Pet Detective. He has appeared on late-night talk shows and also provided animals for movies including The War, Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Mighty Joe Young, and The Jungle Book 2.[6]

Antle was also involved in the production of three documentaries: Nat Geo Wild’s Super Cat,[7] Nature’s Jaguar: Year of the Cat,[8] and PBS’s Big Cats.[9]

In 2008, Suryia and Roscoe, an orangutan and an orphaned blue tick hound appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.[10]

Antle was one of the private breeders featured in the 2020 Netflix television documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.

Animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking allegations

Antle was fined by the USDA for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Buckingham, Virginia in 1989. In total, Antle has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.[11]

In late December 2019, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Horry County Police Department raided Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari.[12] Antle said the agencies came to collect DNA samples from three young lions that descended from Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Virginia which was closed down due to animal welfare issues.[13]

During the Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, Joe Exotic, a former zoo operator, accused Antle of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding.[14]

In 2020, TMZ's founder Harvey Levin broke the news that Antle was being investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Justice for the illegal sale of big cats including tigers.[15]

On October 9, 2020, after a months-long investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s Animal Law Unit, Antle was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. The charges include one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Antle; his daughters; and Kevin A. Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Frederick County, Virginia; were charged by the grand jury of Frederick County.[16][17][3]

References
  1. LeWine, Lia (April 3, 2020). "'Tiger King's Doc Antle: What Happened To The Netflix Star And Where Is He Now?". Women's Health. Hearst. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  2. Port, Ian S. (September 21, 2015). "The Man Who Made Animal Friends". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. "'Tiger King' star Doc Antle charged with wildlife trafficking". National Geographic. October 9, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  4. Baxter-Wright, Dusty (March 25, 2020). "Tiger King: Who are Bhagavan 'Doc'; Antle's wives and where are they now?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  5. "EXPOSED! T.I.G.E.R.S: A Tourist Attraction Exploiting Animals in the Name of Wildlife Conservation". One Green Planet. September 24, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  6. Rubin, Rebecca (March 30, 2020). "'Tiger King's' Doc Antle and Britney Spears Shared Stage for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' VMAs Performance". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  7. Size Doesn't Always Matter | Super Cat, retrieved May 22, 2020
  8. Jaguar - Year of the Cat (Nature Documentary), retrieved May 22, 2020
  9. "Big Cats | Nature | PBS". Nature. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  10. "WATCH: Suryia And Roscoe, Best Friends Forever | People Magazine". www.peoplemagazine.co.za. Retrieved May 22, 2020.
  11. "A 'Tiger King' is born: Netflix star Antle started at a rural Virginia yoga commune". C-Ville Weekly. March 14, 2020.
  12. Montgomery, Annette (December 11, 2019). "Myrtle Beach Safari owner said 'Lions are a part of a multi-state investigation'". WPDE.
  13. "Wilson's Wild Animal Park owner faces 46 animal cruelty charges". WTVR. November 13, 2019.
  14. "'Tiger King': PETA Lawyer Reveals What "Viewers Didn't Get to See" in Netflix Doc". The Hollywood Reporter. April 3, 2020.
  15. "'Tiger King': Report of new investigation into violations of Endangered Species Act". Fox News. April 29, 2020.
  16. "'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle and Va. 'roadside zoo' owner indicted on wildlife trafficking charges". October 9, 2020.
  17. Denise Lavoie (October 9, 2020). "Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle, who was featured on 'Tiger King', charged with animal cruelty". The Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
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