Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, one of the individuals featured in Netflix's Tiger King docuseries, is facing wildlife trafficking charges following an investigation.
As NBC 12 reported, charges against Antle were announced by Attorney General Mark Herring on Friday after a months-long investigation was conducted by his Animal Law Unit. Antle was indicted for felony wildlife trafficking, and has also been charged with 1 felony count of conspiracy to sell or transport endangered wildlife, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.
The investigation that led to the indictments included a search at Antle's South Carolina property in Dec. 2019. The very same investigation also resulted in felony charges against Keith A. Wilson, the owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Virginia. The Animal Law Unit seized custody of over 100 animals from the "roadside zoo" park in Aug. 2019, with a judge ruling that Wilson had "cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived the animal[s] of adequate care."
In addition to the charges Doc is facing, his daughters Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson have been charged with misdemeanors for animal cruelty and violating the Endangered Species Act, TMZ reports. Neither Doc or his daughters have been taken into custody so far.
Antle is one of the three main subjects of Tiger King, which mostly focuses on the world of exotic animal parks in Florida. Joe Exotic, who is currently in prison for his alleged murder-for hire plot against Carole Baskin, recently asked Donald Trump to pardon him and has claimed he fears for his life behind bars.
