WINCHESTER, Va. — A wild animal coach featured within the standard Netflix collection “Tiger King” has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the legal professional basic’s workplace introduced Tuesday.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally shopping for endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for show and revenue at his South Carolina zoo, Attorney General Jason Miyares mentioned in a information launch. A jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felony counts every of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife visitors.
Antle, who owns the Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a Netflix documentary miniseries that targeted on tiger breeders.
The jury acquitted Antle of 5 counts of animal cruelty and Judge Alexander Iden dismissed 4 extra animal cruelty fees towards Antle and all fees towards his two grownup daughters, The Winchester Star reported.
Prosecutor Michelle Welch mentioned Myrtle Beach Safari’s profitable petting zoo motivated Antle to keep up a gentle provide of immature lion cubs that he bought from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park close to Winchester, calling the association a “cub pipeline” from Virginia to South Carolina.
When Antle and Keith Wilson, the park’s former proprietor, started doing enterprise in 2015, it was nonetheless authorized to purchase and promote lions, Welch mentioned. But after lions have been designated as an endangered species in December 2015, lions may solely be traded between zoos and wildlife preserves that have been a part of a longtime breeding program and had permits. There have been three unlawful cub exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Welch mentioned.
Antle was indicted in 2020 on a number of offenses together with felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy. In August 2019, 119 animals — together with lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats and water buffalo — have been seized from Wilson’s roadside zoo after a decide discovered that Wilson “cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived” the animals of ample care.
Wilson testified that Antle paid him prematurely beneath the guise of a donation. He mentioned Antle paid $2,500 to $3,000 per cub aside from the 2017 transaction when Antle traded three lynx kittens for 3 lion cubs.
Wilson is charged with 9 misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and 10 felony counts of promoting an endangered species and a listening to in his case is scheduled for Friday.
Defense legal professional Erin Harrigan referred to as Antle’s prosecution politically motivated in response to a rising public outcry towards wild animals being exploited for leisure functions.
“This has been an agenda in search of a crime from the beginning of the investigation,” Harrigan mentioned.
Harrigan maintained that the cubs have been presents and Antle despatched Wilson donations for an expanded tiger habitat.
“These were not sales,” Harrigan mentioned.
Iden allowed Antle, who faces as much as 20 years in jail, to stay free on bond pending sentencing on Sept. 14.
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