'Tiger King' Star Doc Antle Sentenced Over Wildlife Trafficking

Animal trainer Doc Antle may have gotten a name for himself, thanks to the Netflix documentary, "Tiger King." However, it also opened him to scrutiny, leading to him being sentenced for wildlife trafficking.

The 63-year-old animal trainer and exotic animal collector was fined $10,000 after buying endangered lion cubs in Virginia. Doc Antle, whose real name is Bhagavan Antle, has also been ordered to stay away from exotic animals after his sentencing.

According to the Daily Mail, the controversial wildlife personality, who previously appeared on shows to talk about animals, was convicted by a jury of two counts of wildlife trafficking and two counts of conspiring to traffic wildlife. This stemmed from his purchase of the lion cubs in Virginia, intending to showcase them outside his business.

The former "Tiger King" star will also be spending some time in prison, much like the "Tiger King" himself, Joe Exotic. He was sentenced to two years in prison with time suspended for each charge. Each charge will run concurrently.

PETA US Foundation director of captive animal welfare Debbie Metzler reacted to the sentencing and stated, "Antle escaped a prison sentence this time, but he's still facing multiple federal charges for alleged money laundering and alleged wildlife trafficking of animals, including endangered cheetahs and a chimpanzee."

PETA is also calling for his roadside zoo to close and for federal authorities to terminate his license to operate. Antle has been accused of animal abuse in his zoo.

'Tiger King' Star Constantly Needed Lion Cubs for His Petting Zoo in South Carolina

Bhagavan "Doc" Antle owns and runs the e Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, with his zoo gaining much attention thanks to "Tiger King." However, the so-called animal expert was accused of constantly trafficking wildlife for his zoo, particularly young lion cubs.

South Carolina Attorney General Jason Miyares and his prosecutors noted that he often presents lion cubs as part of his petting zoo. Because of this, he needs a constant supply of lion cubs coming, and the ones getting older become part of illegal cub exchanges.

"Today concludes a multi-year investigation and prosecution by my office. In Virginia, we uphold the rule of law without exception, whether dealing with violent repeat offenders, big pharma, fraudsters and scammers, or wildlife traffickers,'," said the South Carolina AG.

Much like Joe Exotic, Antle was also accused of killing his own animals inside his zoo.

Doc Antle Also Involved in Human Trafficking Operations From Mexico

Not only is Doc Antle involved in the illegal wildlife trade and animal abuse, but he is also accused of being involved in human trafficking across the US-Mexico border.

According to USA TODAY, Antle is implicated in a money laundering scheme where he was tasked to hide more than half a million dollars from a cross-border human trafficking operation. He has already been charged with this alleged crime.

He reportedly laundered around $505,000 in human trafficking money and could face another 20 years in federal prison if convicted.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Rick Martin

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