Tiger King star Doc Antle is fined $10,000 and banned from owning exotic animals after buying endangered lion cubs in Virginia
Tiger King star Doc Antle has been fined $10,000 for buying endangered lion cubs in Virginia.
Bhagavan Antle, 63, has also been ordered to stay away from exotic animals after he was sentenced yesterday.
In June, a jury convicted him of two counts of wildlife trafficking and two counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife after purchasing the animals, which he planned to display outside his business in South Carolina.
Antle was sentenced Tuesday by a Frederick County judge to two years in prison, with time suspended on each charge.
He has been ordered to pay the maximum amount of $2,500 per conviction, which amounts to a fine of $10,000.
In June, Antle was convicted by a jury of two counts of wildlife trafficking and two counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife after purchasing the animals, which he planned to display outside his business in South Carolina (File Photo )
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In June 2022, Antle was accused of laundering $505,000. Federal prosecutors said he believed it was the proceeds of an operation that smuggled people across the Mexican border into the United States.
Antle is prohibited from working with, owning, brokering, buying, selling, trading, transferring, exchanging or donating exotic animals in Virginia for five years.
“Today concludes a multi-year investigation and prosecution by my office.
In Virginia, we uphold the rule of law without exception, whether it concerns violent repeat offenders, big pharmaceutical companies, fraudsters and con artists, or wildlife traffickers,” the district attorney said in a statement.
PETA US Foundation Captive Animal Welfare Director Debbie Metzler said: ‘Antle escaped prison time this time, but he still faces multiple federal charges for alleged money laundering and alleged wildlife trafficking, including endangered cheetahs and a chimpanzee.
‘Based on his convictions in Virginia and his years of mistreatment of animals, including ripping baby big cats, chimpanzees and other animals from their mothers to be used in public encounters, PETA is calling on federal authorities to terminate the permits that have been shoddy keep roadside zoo active.’
Antle appeared in the wildly popular Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in 2020, shedding light on big cat breeders and private zoos in the US.
The show followed eccentric Oklahoma zoo owner Joe Exotic, who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for the attempted murder-for-hire of his rival, animal rights activist Carole Baskin.
In the series, Antle is portrayed as Exotic’s mentor. He is also shown to have a cult-like approach to business, as a polygamist with a string of devoted female employee followers.
Antle’s history of violations dates back to 1989, when he was fined by the U.S. Department of Agriculture for leaving deer and peacocks in his Virginia zoo.
Since then, he has amassed more than 35 USDA violations for animal abuse.
Antle posing with big cats. Antle was sentenced Tuesday by a Frederick County judge to two years in prison, with time suspended on each charge.
In June 2022, Antle was accused of laundering $505,000. Federal prosecutors said he believed it was the proceeds of an operation that smuggled people across the Mexican border into the United States.
He could spend up to 20 years in federal prison if convicted of money laundering.
In October 2020, Antle was charged with illegal wildlife trafficking in Virginia.
He was charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking and 13 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and the Endangered Species Act, according to the state’s attorney general.
Antle’s daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakum Watterson, were also charged with crimes.
Tawny was charged with one felony count of cruelty to animals, while Tilakum was charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.
Antle told TMZ at the time, “I am terribly shocked and disappointed by the charges brought against me by the Commonwealth of Virginia and how they have attempted to implicate my daughters in this case.”
He then “categorically” denied the allegations, as well as “any act or behavior that could ever be considered ‘animal abuse’.”
Antle with a tiger over his shoulder. He appeared in the wildly popular Netflix documentary Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness in 2020, shedding light on big cat breeders and private zoos in the US.
Antle was also criticized by PETA for allowing celebrity guests like Beyoncé, Floyd Mayweather and Larsa Pippen to physically interact with wild animals in his park.
The California native was also part of Britney Spears’ iconic 2001 I’m a Slave 4 U VMAs performance, in which he was the animal handler.
Spears, 41, started the show in a cage with Antle and a liger — a hybrid of a tiger mother and a lion father — then walked onto the stage where she danced with a python wrapped around her shoulders.
According to Antle’s website, he has also worked as a zookeeper on films such as Ace Ventura, Dr. Doolittle, Mighty Joe Young and The Jungle Book.