A wildlife trainer featured in the Netflix series “Tiger King,” Doc ‘Antle, has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general’s office announced.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle has been charged with illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, to display and monetize at his South Carolina zoo, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a statement. declaration.
Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness”, a Netflix documentary miniseries about tiger ranchers.
District Attorney Michelle Welch said the lucrative Myrtle Beach Safari Zoo motivated Antle to maintain a steady supply of immature lion cubs he purchased from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park near Winchester, calling the deal a “cub pipeline” of Virginia to Carolina South.
When Antle and Keith Wilson, the park’s former owner, went into business in 2015, it was still legal to buy and sell lions, Michelle Welch said, but in December 2015 the lions were listed as an endangered species and allowed to traded only between zoos. and nature reserves that are part of a recognized breeding program.
According to the prosecutor, there were three illegal puppy exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
The jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felonies, each of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to smuggle wildlife, acquitting him on five counts of cruelty to animals.
Judge Alexander Iden dismissed four additional animal cruelty charges and all charges against his two adult daughters, according to The Winchester Star.
Source: DN
