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Doc Antle

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Bhagavan Antle
Antle at Myrtle Beach Safari in 2020
Born
Kevin Antle

(1960-03-16) March 16, 1960 (age 64)
Salinas, California, U.S.
Other namesDoc Antle
Occupation(s)Animal trainer, zoo operator
Known forOperator of the Myrtle Beach Safari
Spouses
Betsy "Brami" Rodgers
​
​
(divorced)​
Radha Hirsch
​
(divorced)​
Dawn Thurston
​
(died)​
Children4
Criminal details
Conviction(s)
  • Wildlife trafficking (two counts)
  • Conspiring to wildlife traffic (two counts)
Penalty
  • Two years imprisonment (suspended sentence)
  • $10,000 fine

Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle[1] (born Kevin Antle; March 16, 1960), is an American animal trainer, roadside zoo operator, and felon convicted of wildlife trafficking.[2][3]

Antle began raising dogs in his youth,[4] and started operating a private zoo in 1983.[3][5] Antle has worked as an animal trainer for films including Ace Ventura and Dr. Doolittle in addition to appearing as a guest on several television shows.[6] In 2020, he was featured in the first season of Netflix true crime documentary series Tiger King. Antle was the subject of a follow-up documentary Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story released in December 2021.[7]

Antle has faced accusations of animal cruelty throughout his career. In October 2020, Antle was charged with two felony counts related to wildlife trafficking and 13 additional misdemeanors after an investigation by the Attorney General of Virginia.[8][9] Antle has also faced public allegations of inappropriate relationships with minors at the private Buckingham County, Virginia zoo, and of operating a cult at the Myrtle Beach Safari location, claims that Antle denies.[10][11] On June 3, 2022, Antle was arrested by the FBI on federal charges related to money laundering.[12][13]

In June 2023, Antle was convicted in Virginia of wildlife trafficking.[14] In October, he was fined $10,000 and banned from owning wildlife in Virginia for five years.[15] In November 2023, Antle pleaded guilty to federal wildlife trafficking and money laundering charges, and faces up to five years in federal prison for each charge and a fine of $250,000.[16][17][18]

Early life and education

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Doc Antle was born in Salinas, California in 1960.[1][19] Antle grew up on an industrial farm in Salinas, part of a wealthy family connected to Tanimura & Antle, an agricultural company.[4] His father endowed him with a hefty trust fund after his death.[4] Antle dropped out of school before the ninth grade.[4] As teenagers, Antle and his girlfriend traveled to Virginia to attend a one month yoga retreat at Yogaville, a community founded by Swami Satchidananda Saraswati, an Indian spiritualist. Antle performed magic shows and became a close associate of Satchidananda.

Through family business connections, Antle traveled to China and received basic medical training to serve rural populations; he claims to have earned the nickname “doc”.[4] Upon his returned to the U.S. in the 1980s he began practicing alternative medicine in Yogaville.[4]

Career

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Antle in 2005 with a liger

In the 1980s Antle practiced as a magician and opened a private zoo in Buckingham County, Virginia on a 14-acre (5.7 ha) property near the Yogaville ashram that held 100 animals including lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, and an elephant.[5] The private zoo was opened in 1983.[3]

Antle is the founder and director of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina and the Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility.[20] He is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization[21] that purports to fund wildlife conservation.[2][3][22] Journalists have raised questions about how revenue generated by Antle's cub petting tours is distributed between his business and his nonprofit organization.[21][23]

Film and television

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Writing in Variety, Rebecca Rubin states, "Antle has ties to Hollywood, having worked as an animal expert on films like "Dr. Dolittle" and "Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." He appeared frequently on late night talk shows and also provided creatures for movies including "The War," "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book," "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," "Mighty Joe Young" and "The Jungle Book 2."[24] Antle was credited as a "principal animal trainer" in the 1994 and 1995 Ace Ventura films, a "trainer" in the 1994 and 1997 Jungle Book films and as an animal trainer in Mighty Joe Young.[6]

In 2001, Antle was on stage with Britney Spears during her performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, which featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over Spears' shoulders.[24] In 2008, Suryia and Roscoe, an orangutan and an orphaned blue tick hound which had formed an unusual relationship at Antle's zoo, appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show in Chicago.[25][26]

Controversy

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Antle was the subject of a three-part true crime documentary spin-off of Tiger King, titled Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story released by Netflix on December 10, 2021.[27][28][7]

Accusations of animal abuse

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Antle was fined by the USDA for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Buckingham, Virginia in 1989. In total, Antle has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.[5] Joe Exotic, who operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, accused Antle of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding.[29] Antle delivered seven tigers to the Samut Prakan zoo in Thailand, which is a zoo that has faced allegations of keeping animals in terrible conditions.[30]

Antle runs a charity called Rare Species Fund, which is dedicated towards protecting animals living in the wild. However, former employees of Antle have claimed that much of the charity's donations are funneled back to Antle.[11]

In late December 2019, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Horry County Police Department raided Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari. Antle told media at the time that this was for DNA testing lions for a multi-state investigation.[31]

In 2020, Antle was reported as being investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Justice for the illegal sale of big cats including tigers.[32]

Criminal charges

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Virginia

[edit]

Antle was indicted in October 2020 by a grand jury in Frederick County, Virginia, after a months-long investigation by the Animal Law Unit of the Virginia Attorney General. The charges included felony wildlife trafficking as well as misdemeanor animal cruelty and violations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.[3][33] Prosecutors said that Antle carried or caused the lions to be carried in a “cruel, brutal, or inhumane manner, so as to produce torture or unnecessary suffering.”[34] A trial date was set for July 2022.[9][34]

On June 21, 2023, Virginia prosecutors announced that a jury had convicted Antle of four total felony counts: two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic. Each count is punishable with up to 20 years in prison. He was found not guilty of nine misdemeanor charges. A sentencing hearing was set for September 14, 2023.[35] At the hearing, the judge did not render a decision regarding Antle's sentence.[14] On October 3, 2023, Antle was fined $10,000 and banned for five years from "possessing, trading or interacting with wild animals" in Virginia.[15] He also received a suspended two-year prison sentence.[36]

Federal

[edit]

Antle was arrested on June 3, 2022, by the FBI and booked into jail for charges related to money laundering.[12][13] He faced charges relating to illegally trafficking animals, including leopards, cheetahs and a chimpanzee, in violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.[37] On November 6, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of wildlife trafficking under the Lacey Act and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from his illegal interstate sale of seven endangered animals, his falsification of paperwork to disguise the transactions as lawful intrastate transfers, and for disguising payments for the animals as lawful donations to his nonprofit.[16][17][18] For each count, Antle faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release.[17][18] Federal authorities also uncovered evidence that Antle and an unidentified co-conspirator used bank accounts they controlled to launder large cash payments they believed to have been obtained through human smuggling by another individual.[16][17]

Antle's federal sentencing hearing was scheduled for August 27, 2024, but it was postponed indefinitely on August 22. The U.S. Attorney's Office would not tell WMBF-TV or WBTW why the hearing was postponed nor when it might be rescheduled.[38][39]

Accusations of running a cult

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Former employees of Antle's zoo, Myrtle Beach Safari, have accused him of using the zoo to create a cult-like following around him.[40][41] Antle has expressed expectations that his employees must see the zoo as more than a workplace, as it is an all encompassing lifestyle.[40] Antle has required female employees to be single, childless, to abstain from eating meat, and to wear certain clothing and weigh within 20 pounds of their "perfect athletic weight."[40][4] Writing for PopMatters, John Glover described Antle's operation as one where "staff is comprised of women who were groomed as teenagers for polygamy", an environment which Antle himself describes as a "complex lifestyle".[42]

Barbara Fisher, a former employee of T.I.G.E.R.S. who worked with Antle from 1999 to 2007, stated that she was pressured to get breast implants while working at the facility[43] and that several employees legally changed their names under the direction of Antle.[44] In the Netflix show, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, Antle's former partner, Sumati Steinberg, alleges that when she tried to leave, Antle abused her by choking her until she passed out and breaking two of her ribs.[10] Antle's second wife, Radha Hirsch, claims that she met Antle when she was just 11 years-old much to the chagrin of her mother, who attempted to end their relationship three years later when it became sexual.[10] However, soon after, Antle picked Hirsch up from school and she ran off to live with him.[10]

Antle has criticized the accusations against him and his facility, specifically calling Fisher's claims "ramblings" and saying she has "issues and somehow those have boiled up".[45][46][47]

Personal life

[edit]

Antle is a vegetarian.[48][44] He married his first wife, Betsy "Brami" Rodgers around the time they both attended a one month yoga retreat at Yogaville while teenagers.[49][10] Rodgers and Antle have one child,[10] a daughter named Devi.[50] Two of Antle's former partners have stated that he practiced polygamy and had initiated relationships with them while they were 14-year-old members of the Yogaville community.[10][40] Antle had a long term relationship with Sumati Steinberg,[40][10] and they have one child, a daughter named Tilakam.[49] Rodgers, Antle's first wife, has claimed that he established the polygamous relationships without her consent.[10] Antle's second marriage was to Radha Hirsch.[49] Antle and his third wife, Dawn Thurston, had two children, Kody and Tawny, prior to Thurston's death in a car accident at age 29.[49]

Several of Antle's children have worked with him at the Myrtle Beach Safari.[51][52] Antle's daughters Tawny and Tilakam have both been criminally charged for animal cruelty and violations of the Endangered Species Act.[12]

References

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  1. ^ a b Henry, Grace (December 10, 2021), Who is Doc Antle and what is his real name?, Radio Times, retrieved December 12, 2021
  2. ^ a b Port, Ian S. (September 21, 2015). "The Man Who Made Animal Friends". Rolling Stone. Retrieved March 29, 2020.
  3. ^ a b c d e Daly, Natasha (October 9, 2020). "'Tiger King' Star Doc Antle Charged with Wildlife Trafficking". National Geographic. Archived from the original on October 12, 2020. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  4. ^ a b c d e f g Port, Ian (September 21, 2015). "The Man Who Made Animal Friends". Rolling Stone. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  5. ^ a b c Hitchcock, Ben (March 14, 2020). "A 'Tiger King' is Born: Netflix Star Antle Started at a Rural Virginia Yoga Commune". Charlottesville Weekly. Archived from the original on April 22, 2020.
  6. ^ a b Jones, Isabel (April 2, 2020). "Tiger King's Doc Antle Was in These Movies, Shows & Music Videos". InStyle. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020. Retrieved January 16, 2022.
  7. ^ a b Mauch, Ally (December 3, 2021). "The Doc Antle Story: New Netflix Docuseries Dives Into the Tiger King Star's Dark Past". People. Archived from the original on December 3, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  8. ^ Morales, Christina (May 21, 2021). "69 Big Cats Are Seized From Jeffrey Lowe, a Figure in 'Tiger King'". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  9. ^ a b Morales, Christina (October 9, 2020). "Doc Antle of 'Tiger King' Is Charged With Wildlife Trafficking". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved September 29, 2021.
  10. ^ a b c d e f g h i Yeates, Cyndey (December 10, 2021). "Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story exposes shocking child sexual abuse and abduction claims". Metro (British newspaper). Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  11. ^ a b Roth, Steve (December 10, 2021). "'Doc' Antle denies Tiger King claims of sexual relationships with underage girls". Fox 2. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  12. ^ a b c Caines, Richard (June 3, 2022). "'Tiger King' star Doc Antle arrested by FBI on money laundering allegations". Post and Courier. Retrieved June 4, 2022.
  13. ^ a b "'Tiger King' star Doc Antle to face money laundering charges". AP News. June 4, 2022. Retrieved June 5, 2022.
  14. ^ a b McCusker, Caleb (September 17, 2023) [September 14, 2023]. "Sentencing hearing held in Virginia for 'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle". WBTW. Florence, South Carolina. Retrieved September 19, 2023.
  15. ^ a b Benson, Adam (October 3, 2023). "SC Tiger King hit with $10K fine, wildlife ownership ban following Virginia conviction". The Sun News.
  16. ^ a b c Pollard, James (November 8, 2023). "'Doc' Antle of 'Tiger King' pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking and money laundering". WBAL. Baltimore, Maryland. Associated Press. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  17. ^ a b c d "Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, Pleads Guilty to Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Charges" (Press release). Washington, D.C.: Office of Public Affairs. U.S. Department of Justice. November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  18. ^ a b c Sayers, Devon M. (November 7, 2023). "'Tiger King' star pleads guilty to trafficking endangered species". CNN. Retrieved November 9, 2023.
  19. ^ LeWine, Lia (April 3, 2020). "'Tiger King's Doc Antle: What Happened To The Netflix Star And Where Is He Now?". Women's Health. Hearst. Retrieved April 6, 2020.
  20. ^ Baxter-Wright, Dusty (March 25, 2020). "Tiger King: Who are Bhagavan 'Doc'; Antle's wives and where are they now?". Cosmopolitan. Retrieved March 30, 2020.
  21. ^ a b Guynup, Sharon (December 2019). "The Tigers Next Door". National Geographic. 236: 84+ – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  22. ^ "EXPOSED! T.I.G.E.R.S: A Tourist Attraction Exploiting Animals in the Name of Wildlife Conservation". One Green Planet. September 24, 2014. Retrieved December 12, 2020.
  23. ^ Norton, Kara Jamie (April 6, 2020). "The Truth About "Tiger King" And Cats in Captivity". Nature. Archived from the original on April 9, 2020. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  24. ^ a b Rubin, Rebecca (March 30, 2020). "'Tiger King's' Doc Antle and Britney Spears Shared Stage for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' VMAs Performance". Variety. Retrieved March 31, 2020.
  25. ^ Bebb, Gareth (May 15, 2009). "Pals love to monkey around". Express.co.uk. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  26. ^ Campbell Thornton, Kim (November 4, 2009). "Unlikely friends: Why we love odd animal pairs". NBC News. Archived from the original on January 18, 2021. Retrieved January 17, 2022.
  27. ^ Shafer, Ellise (December 3, 2021). "'Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story' Coming to Netflix Next Week: Watch the Trailer". Variety.
  28. ^ Heritage, Stuart (December 13, 2021). "Why it's time to say goodbye to Tiger King". The Guardian. Archived from the original on December 13, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
  29. ^ Wigler, Josh (April 3, 2020). "'Tiger King': PETA Lawyer Reveals What "Viewers Didn't Get to See" in Netflix Doc". The Hollywood Reporter. Archived from the original on April 4, 2020.
  30. ^ "'Doc' Antle Calls Nat Geo Reporter 'Al-Qaeda to the Max'". PETA. January 27, 2021.
  31. ^ Montgomery, Annette (December 11, 2019). "Myrtle Beach Safari owner said 'Lions are a part of a multi-state investigation'". WPDE.
  32. ^ London, Matt (April 29, 2020). "'Tiger King': Report of new investigation into violations of Endangered Species Act". Fox News. Archived from the original on April 29, 2020.
  33. ^ Denise Lavoie (October 9, 2020). "Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle, who was featured on 'Tiger King', charged with animal cruelty". The Chicago Tribune. Associated Press. Retrieved October 9, 2020.
  34. ^ a b Wetzel, David (September 27, 2021). "'It's all a joke': Myrtle Beach Safari owner gives take on upcoming 'Tiger King' season". The Sun News. Retrieved December 4, 2021.
  35. ^ Mayorquin, Orland (June 21, 2023). "Doc Antle of 'Tiger King' Is Convicted on Wildlife Trafficking Charges". The New York Times. Retrieved June 23, 2023.
  36. ^ Lagatta, Eric (October 4, 2023). "'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle banned from dealing in exotic animals for 5 years in Virginia". USA Today.
  37. ^ "Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, and Others Indicted for Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Crimes". FBI. June 30, 2022. Retrieved October 5, 2022.
  38. ^ Nelson, Kristin (August 22, 2024). "Sentencing hearing canceled for Myrtle Beach Safari owner featured in 'Tiger King'". WMBF-TV. Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  39. ^ McCusker, Caleb (August 22, 2024). "Sentencing hearing canceled for former 'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle". WBTW. Florence, South Carolina. Retrieved August 30, 2024.
  40. ^ a b c d e Smail, Gretchen (December 10, 2021). "What To Know About The Weird Yoga Center From Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story". Bustle. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  41. ^ Moreau, Jordan (December 10, 2021). "'Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story' Can't Recapture the Roar of the Original: TV Review". Variety. Retrieved December 12, 2021.
  42. ^ Glover, Johnathan (July 13, 2020). "'Tiger King' and the Post-Truth Culture War". PopMatters. Archived from the original on July 31, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  43. ^ LeBlanc, Sarah Kay (April 3, 2000). "Ames' Barbara Fisher speaks about her experience on Netflix's 'Tiger King' documentary". Des Moines Register. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  44. ^ a b Fisher, Barbara; Minutaglio, Rose (April 8, 2020). "I Trained Tigers For Doc Antle. Here's the Truth". ELLE. Archived from the original on April 11, 2020. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
  45. ^ "Barbara Fisher Has Something to Say About Doc Antle's Response to 'The Tiger King' [EXCLUSIVE]". Distractify. March 31, 2020. Retrieved June 19, 2021.
  46. ^ "Tiger King's Lies: True Story vs. Netflix Joe Exotic Documentary". HistoryvsHollywood.com. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  47. ^ Burke, Minyvonne (April 1, 2020). "Doc Antle slams Netflix's 'Tiger King' as a 'train wreck of entertainment'". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 8, 2021. Retrieved March 20, 2021.
  48. ^ Leszkiewicz, Anna (April 3, 2020). "Tiger King". New Statesman. 149 (5514–5516): 71 – via Gale Academic OneFile.
  49. ^ a b c d Henry, Grace. "Who were Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle's wives? Meet the women featured in the Netflix series". Radio Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2021. Retrieved January 9, 2022.
  50. ^ "Sri Devi Antle - Bio & Resume". srideviantle.com. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
  51. ^ Port, Ian S. (September 21, 2015). "The Man Who Made Animal Friends". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2021.
  52. ^ "The Director of T.I.G.E.R.S.: Bhagavan Antle". TIGERS: The Institute of the Greatly Endangered and Rare Species. May 17, 2008. Archived from the original on May 17, 2008. Retrieved November 23, 2021.
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