According to a source familiar with the matter, Bhagavan Antle, “Tiger King” star and likely to face federal money laundering accusations in court on Monday.
The controversial wild animal trainer was arrested by federal agents Friday. He has been held at the J. Reuben Long Detention Center, Conway, South Carolina, all weekend.
Antle, who is the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, South Carolina, features prominently in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” 2020 Netflix documentary series that focuses on private zoo owners and tiger breeders in the U.S. Joe Exotic, a Oklahoma zoo owner, was also featured in the series. He was convicted of animal cruelty and plotting to kill Carole Baskin.
Antle (62), was expected to face charges during Monday’s court proceedings in Florence, South Carolina. According to a source familiar with the matter, the charges are related to money laundering. The subject could not speak publicly about the matter and spoke to AP under condition of anonymity.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) asked the IRS to investigate Antle’s Rare Species Fund. This non-profit raises money for wildlife conservation. PETA claims that he used some of the money from the fund to pay for his safari site in Socastee, near Myrtle Beach.
“It’s fitting that Doc” Antle is behind bars, after years of locking up endangered animals for photo ops. As PETA revealed recently, his legal woes have been mounting. “The end to his reign in terrorizing Tiger cubs cannot come soon enough,” stated Debbie Metzler (associate director of PETA’s Captive Animal Law Enforcement division), in a statement.
Antle, a Virginia resident, is currently facing two felony wildlife trafficking and conspiracy wildlife trafficking charges. There are also 13 misdemeanor conspiracy to violate Endangered Species Act charges and animal cruelty charges related to the trafficking lion cubs. These charges will be tried next month.
