Netflix's docuseries 'Tiger King's Doc Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking
Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, who you would remember from Netflix's 2020 docuseries Tiger King, has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia. He's the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina and was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Virginia's Frederick County. On Friday, a jury convicted Antle of "two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic."
The investigation first began in 2019
"The Office of the Attorney General's Animal Law Unit led the investigation, which began in 2019, and [secured] the convictions after a week-long trial," said AG Jason S Miyares. "I'm proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work and I'm thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking."
He has also been acquitted of a few charges
The 12-member jury "handed down not guilty verdicts on five additional misdemeanor charges of animal cruelty, all of which were related to Antle's purchases of lion cubs from a now-closed roadside zoo in Frederick County, Wilson's Wild Animal Park, from 2017 through 2019," reported The Winchester Star. Charges against his two adult daughters were also dismissed due to "lack of evidence."
Antle was engaged in illegal transactions with Keith Wilson
Per prosecutor Michelle Welch, "Myrtle Beach Safari's lucrative petting zoo motivated Antle to maintain a steady supply of immature lion cubs that he purchased from Keith Wilson's Wild Animal Park near Winchester." Wilson is the park's former owner. She called the arrangement from Virginia to South Carolina a "club pipeline." "There were three illegal cub exchanges in 2017, 2018, and 2019," reported The Guardian.
What happened to Wilson?
In August 2019, Wilson drew attention when 119 animals, including water buffalo, lions, tigers, camels, among others, were seized from his roadside zoo. The judge found that he "cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived" the animals of adequate care. He has been charged with nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and ten felony counts of selling an endangered species. His hearing is scheduled for Friday.
Antle's career and media coverage at a glance
Antle, who identifies as an animal trainer and private zoo operator, has been associated with films such as Dr. Dolittle and Ace Ventura as an animal trainer. He has also appeared in The David Letterman Show and The Tonight Show with Jay Leno, among others. In December 2021, Netflix created another documentary with Antle in focus, titled Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.
