US animal park owner charged with wildlife trafficking
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UNITED STATES • The owner of an animal park featured in the Netflix documentary, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem And Madness (2020), has been charged with wildlife trafficking in connection with lion cubs moved between Virginia and South Carolina, prosecutors announced last Friday.
Bhagavan Antle, 60, who is known as Doc and is the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, was charged with two felony counts related to wildlife trafficking and 13 additional misdemeanours, according to the Office of the Attorney-General of Virginia.
His daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, also face misdemeanour charges in connection with animal cruelty and alleged violations of the Endangered Species Act.
"I categorically deny any act or conduct that could ever be considered as 'animal cruelty'," Bhagavan Antle said in a statement. "I have spent my entire professional life promoting the welfare and conservation of big cats and other species."
In March, as Americans were still getting used to being stuck at home because of the pandemic, Antle captured nationwide attention with memorable appearances in Tiger King. Millions of viewers were drawn to the documentary, which spotlighted the big business of big cats in America.
The man at the centre of the documentary, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known as Joe Exotic, is serving a 22-year sentence in federal prison for trying to hire a hit man to kill Ms Carole Baskin, an animal-rights activist who runs Big Cat Rescue in Tampa, Florida.
Netflix declined to comment on the charges brought against Antle.
"We are thrilled to see law enforcement take action to stop what we believe to be illegal trade and illegal treatment of these innocent cubs," Mr Howard Baskin, Ms Baskin's husband, said in an e-mail.
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