Last Friday, a Virginia court convicted “Tiger King” actor Bhagavan Antle, also known as “Doc” Antle, of four felonies related to unlawful wildlife trafficking.
Antle, who was accused of unlawfully purchasing endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, was convicted of two counts of wildlife trafficking and two counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife, according to a press release from the office of Attorney General Jason Miyares.
Antle intended to exhibit the lion offspring at his South Carolina zoo.
Antle’s inquiry began in 2019 and culminated in a week-long trial that resulted in his conviction.
“Virginia’s animal cruelty laws are not lightly taken by my office,” Miyares added. “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 also sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”
Antle’s sentencing date is set for September 14, 2023.
Antle is prominently featured in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness,” a 2020 Netflix documentary miniseries on tiger breeders and private zoo owners in the United States. The series focuses mainly on Joe Exotic, an Oklahoma zoo operator who was also targeted for animal maltreatment and was convicted in a plan to assassinate a rival, Carole Baskin.
Animal rights activists have accused Antle of mistreating lions and other wildlife. He was charged with animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in Virginia in 2020.
Antle has a history of recorded violations dating back to 1989 when the USDA punished him for abandoning deer and peacocks at his Virginia zoo. He has received more than 35 USDA violations for animal cruelty throughout the years.
Antle was charged in June 2022 with laundering more than $500,000, money federal authorities said he believed was the proceeds of a scheme to transport illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States.
If convicted of the money laundering charges, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison.
