myrtle beach safari antle

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Myrtle Beach Safari is not planning to cancel any tours. We are also following the CDC guidelines and taking all necessary health precautions. Should you need to reschedule your tour for a later date, please contact us via email or phone.

witness the wild

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Wild Encounters Tour - Day Safari

Wild encounters tour day safari.

• Starts at $389 per person
• Located at our 50 acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Spend your day with an array of wildlife
• Meet the world's largest big cat - the liger
• Hug Bubbles the African elephant
• Interact with exotic cats and wolves
• Get up close to the fastest land animal - the cheetah
• Bucket list interactions with baby chimps & monkeys
• Experience a 500lb bengal tiger run at full speed below your feet
• Play fun games with the chimp brothers
• Animals vary and cannot be guaranteed

This experience is a fully-guided walking tour

• Starts at 9 am sharp and is over at approximately 1:30 pm
• Reservations are required
• Prices higher on peak dates
• Photographers will be with you all day | Digital copy of all photos included
• No personal cell phones, cameras or video cameras allowed
• Price is the same for adults and children
• Amazing encounter rain or shine
• Complimentary snacks and pizza lunch
• Not wheelchair or scooter accessible
• E-mail confirmation with additional details will be sent after purchase

Preview Wild Encounters Tour

Cancellation Policy:

• After 24 hours of purchase your reservation becomes non-refundable. You will be able to reschedule your reservation for up to one year after your original date of purchase. After 12 months tickets expire permanently.
• Any and all changes to your reservation will incur an additional fee. Rescheduling fees vary from $50-$300 per person.

Still Have Questions? >>>

Let's keep in touch, animals you may see:.

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Save The Tigers!

A timeline of all details in the ongoing ‘Doc’ Antle case

by: Braley Dodson

Posted: Aug 31, 2022 / 04:42 PM EDT

Updated: Nov 6, 2023 / 01:13 PM EST

HORRY COUNTY, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach Safari’s “Doc” Antle has been thrust into the spotlight — and faced multiple criminal accusations — in the two years since Netflix first aired Tiger King.

The series follows the ongoing, dramatic saga of individuals involved in the big cat trade, including Joe Exotic, who is currently facing decades in prison, and Carole Baskin, an animal welfare activist who Exotic has been convicted of hiring two hitmen to kill.

Within weeks of its March 20, 2020 release date, Netflix claimed the series was watched more than 64 million households.

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, popularized in the series, has blasted it as inaccurate. Antle, who has also gone by the name Kevin Antle, claims to have a doctorate degree in medicine from China.

Since then, Antle has faced a slew of charges in relation to money laundering and animal trafficking claims. The cases remain ongoing and Antle remains out of jail on bond.

Here is a time of important dates in the cases:

March 27, 2020 – Antle calls Tiger King “sensationalized entertainment”

“We are very disappointed that our facility was mentioned in the new Netflix series,” Antle said in an Instagram post. “It is important to understand that this series is not a documentary; it’s sensationalized entertainment with paid participants.”

Oct. 9, 2020 – Antle indicted on wildlife trafficking charges in Virginia

According to an investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s Animal Law Unit, Antle and Keith A. Wilson, the owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Frederick County, Virginia, trafficked lion cubs between Virginia and Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari park.

Antle was charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

His daughters were also facing charges. Tawny Antle was charged with one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of violating the Endangered Species Act, and Tilakum Watterson was charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species Act.

Herring’s office said a months-long investigation led to the charges, including a search of Antle’s South Carolina property in December 2019.

Nov. 6, 2020 – PETA files complaint to USDA over “dangerous stunt” at Myrtle Beach Safari

In a statement sent to News13, PETA said the complaint was submitted after a video of Lil Pump being lifted by Bubbles the elephant and posing in a swimming pool with a tiger.

“Another captive tiger just tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but the recently indicted ‘Doc’ Antle hasn’t let federal recommendations against cub-petting stop his search for a little limelight,” PETA said. “Tigers and elephants used for photo ops are caged, chained, and beaten into submission, and they’re dangerous wild animals.

Nov. 11, 2020 – Antle receives $10,000 bond for Virginia wildlife trafficking charges

Antle’s defense agreed to a $10,000 unsecure bond with two conditions — he can’t travel outside of the US without permission from the Court or Attorney General. He also must be on good behavior in all jurisdictions. This does not include a surrender of passport.

 Virginia officials say Antle and Keith Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Virginia, trafficked lion cubs between Virginia and Myrtle Beach Safari.

Antle has been charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

Both men were  indicted  the following month by a grand jury in Frederick County, Virginia, along with two of Doc Antle’s daughters.

April 11, 2021 – Monkey escapes Myrtle Beach Safari, bites woman

A woman sued Myrtle Beach Safari and its owner, Tiger King’s Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, in February 2022 after she said a monkey escaped the zoo and bit her inside her home, according to court documents.

Shirley Ann Smothers claims in initial court documents that a monkey escaped from the zoo on April 21, 2021, and bit her at her Socastee-area home after the primate was “negligently and recklessly allowed to wander from [the zoo’s] premises.”

The documents claim that she was at home when she was startled by a noise on her deck. When she opened the door, she saw a monkey sitting on the railing, which then lunged at her and bit her left arm.

The zoo knew that the monkey had a tendency to “get loose,” according to the documents, which claim that Myrtle Beach Safari was negligent in letting it escape. The zoo also should have implemented measures to prevent animals from escaping and should have warned neighbors, according to the lawsuit.

Antle’s legal answer to the lawsuit in March denies the allegations and points the blame on Smothers, claiming that “Any damages sustained by the Plaintiff as alleged in her Complaint were due to and caused by the negligence, carelessness and recklessness of the Plaintiff and her failure to act with reasonable care for her own safety and well-being at the time and place in question.”

He asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed, claiming that she “assumed the risk of participating in any activities” that took place at her home, according to the lawsuit.

Sept. 23, 2021 – Netflix announces Tiger King 2

Netflix promised the sequel would bring “more madness and mayhem” as it followed the figures depicted in the original Tiger King.

Dec. 10, 2021 – Antle denies allegations of sex with underage girls

Antle denied all allegations made in a new three-part docuseries that premiered on Netflix.

The people featured in “Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story,” many of which either worked with Antle or had relationships with him when he lived in Virginia in the 1980s, accused him of having sexual relationships with multiple minors as an adult, said he conspired to forge the signature of a 15-year-old’s father in order to become legally married to her, physically abused multiple women and used deceptive financial practices as it relates to a fundraising organization.

Multiple women said during the show that they had sexual relationships with Antle when they were just 14 or 15 years old. When asked about these claims, he denied them and said they were, “absolutely false”.

Antle was asked if he conspired to forge the signature of a 15-year-old’s father in order to be legally married to her. He denied the claim and says he doesn’t recognize the signature on the alleged forged document that was presented on the show. Antle said nothing was forged and he’s not sure the paperwork seen on the show is authentic.

He did admit to marrying the 15-year-old girl while on a honeymoon to Myrtle Beach, before he moved to the area, but said they had the permission from the girl’s parents. He also said the girl was almost 16 years old at the time. He referred to this marriage as a mistake and said they got divorced after about six months.

Dec. 14, 2021 – Antle calls Tiger King series “a wild tabloid tale”

Antle  denied all allegations made against him  in Netflix’s Tiger King franchise, blasting the series he calls “entirely a theft.”

“They made stuff up to create a program that someone would watch, they never said it was a documentary, no one says it’s the truth, they just put it out there as a wild tabloid tale,” Antle, the owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari Park, told News13. “Everything that was the truth in ‘Tiger King’ was kind of taken away and given back in ‘Tiger King 2’ as a lie, well that’s all they got is a crazy set of stories that are half-truths that never really happened.”

“Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story,” is  a follow-up to the massively popular series that debuted last year.  The new, three-part series contains interviews with people who have either worked with him, or had relationships with him, when he lived in Virginia in the 1980s. The allegations include that he had sexual relationships with multiple minors when he was an adult, that he conspired to forge the signature of a 15-year-old’s father so he could legally marry her, that he physically abused multiple women and that he used deceptive financial practices as it relates to a fundraising organization.

Antle denies all the accusations and said a short-term marriage to a 15-year-old was approved by the girl’s father. 

He also claims that PETA — which he refers to as the “modern-day Al-Qaeda” — is responsible for the accusations about him taking money from his rare species fund and mishandling animals.

Antle claims that no one from the series reached out to him to be a part of the new “Tiger King” installments, calling the original “entirely a theft. He said the show stole 235 images of him and used them without his consent.

June 3, 2022 – Antle booked in Horry County jail

No information on charges were immediately available after the FBI booked Antle into the J. Reuben Long Detention Center.

PETA celebrated the development.

“It’s fitting that ‘Doc’ Antle is behind bars after years of locking up the endangered animals he uses in tawdry photo ops,” PETA said in the statement. “His legal woes are mounting, as PETA recently blew the whistle on his apparent “charity” scam, and the end to his reign of terrorizing tiger cubs can’t come soon enough.”

June 5, 2022 – South Carolina Secretary of State’s office tells nonprofit it missed deadline

The South Carolina Secretary of State’s office alerted Antle’s nonprofit, the Rare Species Fund, that it had missed the May 15 deadline to file its annual financial report. The charity is registered under the name Preservation Station.

Its nonprofit status is currently listed as “expired” and it is no longer able to legally solicit or accept donations in South Carolina or Florida.

The state was also investigating the nonprofit after receiving a complaint from PETA, according to authorities.

PETA had also asked the IRS to investigate the Rare Species Fund, claiming that Antle has used the nonprofit to funnel money into his business, Myrtle Beach Safari.

A spokesperson for the IRS told News13 that the agency does not disclose if there is an open investigation into any person, organization or nonprofit.

June 6, 2022 – Antle and employee charged with money laundering

A criminal complaint reveals Antle and Andrew Jon Sawyer, 52, of Myrtle Beach, laundered $505,000 in cash “they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States,” according to a news release.

Antle and Sawyer “would launder the cash by providing checks from a business controlled by Antle and a business controlled by Sawyer,” according to the release.

The checks falsely stated they were remitted for construction work at the safari. Antle and Sawyer received a 15% fee of the laundered amount, according to the release.

Antle allegedly discussed his plan to conceal the money by inflating tourist numbers at Myrtle Beach Safari, according to a news release.

A confidential informant went to the safari in 2019 to meet with Antle, according to the documents. The informant told an employee that they could assist them with a $200,000 transaction, but that there would be a 6% charge and up to a six-day wait. An employee said they’d alert Antle. Another person later said that Antle wanted a one-time delivery and asked if that fee could be reduced to 5%.

“We do not have enough time to wait,” a text message from Antle reads, according to the documents. “Thx for the offer of help. I had to do it today.”

In March 2021, the informant recorded a meeting with a money launder, who said that Antle had found another way to do the $200,000 transaction, according to the documents. The launderer was also doing a money laundering scheme with others. Another recording later that year mentions $2 million to “buy the moneys,” with the money laundering, stating that the price was too much, and that it would “throw up every red flag in my book.”

That August, the money launderer told the informant that Antle makes “millions and millions and millions,” the documents read. In a separate conversation with Antle, he reportedly told the informant that they can’t communicate through text and to call, because it’s difficult to tap a phone.

“And for them to get a warrant to listen to your phone is almost impossible,” a transcription of the meeting reads in the docuements. “It’s just not done in America very much. They just don’t listen to phones.”

In February, FBI Special Agents initiated a “reverse money laundering” operation, in which agents created a business name and bank account in the name of said business. The business was by name only and did not have employees or offer goods or services, according to the criminal complaint.

Antle expressed nervousness in a meeting later that year about if the money is counterfeit, stating that “something explosive would happen” and that “I believe everybody got killed that did the counterfeit deals,” according to the records.

FBI agents used funds to provide cash to Antle to launder money, according to the complaint.

Agents held three separate cash transactions.

This March, the confidential informant recorded an interview where Antle asked about a female who was being illegally smuggled into the country to work at Myrtle Beach Safari, according to the documents. They discussed the smuggling operation in more detail, including flights the person would take and how the worker would have to walk through a tunnel.

The money for the schemes would be hidden by stating it was being used for construction, including on an “ape house” or on a bathroom, according to the documents.

June 8, 2022 – Antle’s reported wife forms new company

China York filed an article of incorporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office for Vali Co LLC, which shares the name of a chimpanzee at Myrtle Beach Safari.

The address for the company is listed as the same as Myrtle Beach Safari.

No information exists online for the company. Filed documents from the secretary of state’s office provide no further information beyond the registering agent’s name, the companies’ addresses and the companies’ names.

“I mean, it is really hard to say what exactly those LLCs were created for, but given the timing, I would certainly be suspicious that they were created for the purpose of moving and sheltering some of Doc Antle and Myrtle Beach Safari’s assets in anticipation of the federal government freezing and potentially seizing those assets,” a spokesperson for PETA said.

June 10, 2022 – Antle’s reported wife forms second new company

China York filed an article of incorporation with the South Carolina Secretary of State’s office for another company, Sugriva Co LLC, which shares the name of a chimpanzee at Myrtle Beach Safari.

June 17, 2022 – News13 uncovers jump in nonprofit donations for same year scheme allegedly began

Tax documents obtained by News13 show that the Rare Species Fund collected $288,575 in donations in 2016, $216,109 in donations in 2017 and $177,877 in donations in 2018. In 2019, the year the scheme allegedly began, those donations quadrupled to $801,735. Donations decreased to $43,170 the following year.

The documents list that $332,623 was spent on habitat repair and construction in 2019, and $129,041 on it in 2020.

His charges allege that Antle hid the money laundering by stating that he spent it on construction at Myrtle Beach Safari.

June 30, 2022 – Antle indicted by Florence grand jury

Antle was indicted by a federal grand jury in Florence for wildlife trafficking and money laundering charges.

He was charged alongside four other people. Those include 52-year-old Andrew Jon Sawyer, also known as Omar Sawyer, 51-year-old Meredith Bybee, also known as Moksha Bybee, 61-year-old Charles Sammut and 42-year-old Jason Clay.

Sawyer and Bybee are from Myrtle Beach. Summut is from Salinas, California, and Clay is from Franklin, Texas. Bybee is listed as the general manager of Myrtle Beach Safari on the zoo’s online staff list.

Sammut owns Vision Quest Ranch, which housed exotic animal species and sold tours, according to the announcement. Clay owns Franklin Drive Thru Safari, which also has exotic animals and tours.

PETA celebrated the decision.

“Kudos to the U.S. Department of Justice and the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service for doing what the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has refused to do for years: crack down on ‘Doc’ Antle’s endangered-animal exploitation outfit,” PETA wrote in a statement. “PETA will keep pushing the USDA to do its job, revoke Antle’s license, and stop letting him profit from animals’ misery.”

July 13, 2022 – Antle pleads not guilty to three wildlife trafficking charges

Antle pleaded not guilty during a three-minute federal court appearance in Florence.

If convicted, he faces up to five years in prison for each count.

Antle’s attorney, Ryan Beasley, said the charges are from four years ago, and he wasn’t sure why they waited so long to bring the charges. He added that Antle’s animals are “treated better than most humans” and that the charges are “technical issues that the government is trying to get him on.”

July 28, 2022 – Authorities file documents to seize Antle’s Horry County property

A notice of lis pendens was filed for a piece of land at 971 Folly Road, near Myrtle Beach Safari. The action is pending in the state’s district court, as of early August, with documents stating that federal authorities are “seeking judicial forfeiture” of the property.

The address for Myrtle Beach Safari is listed under a business registered in Antle’s daughter’s name, according to government records.

Aug. 31, 2022 – Feds accuse Antle of trying to sell Myrtle Beach Safari after he was arrested

The U.S. government filed a motion to modify Antle’s bond after he allegedly tried to sell Myrtle Beach Safari following his arrest for money laundering. Court documents allege that he tried to sell the safari to Sugriva Co LLC — which was formed by his reported wife days after his arrest.

The government asked the court to modify his bond to ban Antle from transferring the title of Myrtle Beach Safari or any animal listed under the Endangered Species Act, according to the documents.

A letter from York’s attorney said Antle will “Have no ownership or leadership role in operating Sugriva Co LLC. He will not serve on a board or direct the activities of the organization.”

That same month, the Rare Species Fund was moved to a “suspended” status by the South Carolina Secretary of State’s Office. The charity’s website states that it’s not accepting donations, which the suspended status bans.

Sept. 14, 2022 – Antle back in court for hearing about bond conditions

After the hearing, Antle’s attorney, Ryan Beasley, said the judge reiterated to Antle not to violate any of the conditions of his bond and not to transfer any property or assets connected to the case. He was granted a $250.000 bond and released from jail in bond.

April 14, 2023 – Government agrees to modify ‘Doc’ Antle’s bond so he can leave state

The United States supports a request by Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle to modify the bond conditions set in June after his arrest on  money-laundering  and  wildlife-trafficking charges .

In a motion filed in U.S. District in Court in Florence, Antle asked for the change so he could leave the state to “assist in the care of a loved one who has suffered a serious injury.” According to court documents, the person is in a rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Georgia.

June 20, 2023 – Doc Antle from ‘Tiger King’ convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia

Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced his team has prosecuted Bhagavan Antle, more commonly known as “Doc Antle” from the Netflix series “Tiger King”.

Doc Antle was accused of illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia. The lions were put on display for profit at Doc Antle’s zoo business in Myrtle Beach.

Miyares said Antle was convicted of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife.

June 30, 2023 – Court modifies ‘Doc’ Antle’s bond, allows him to visit ‘loved one’ in Georgia

A U.S. magistrate in Florence signed an order Wednesday that modified his bond to remove the conditions for home detention and location monitoring and allows him to travel out of South Carolina.

In court documents dated June 8, Antle’s attorneys said he had “complied with each and every condition of his bond” and that the court recently allowed another person in the case to leave the state.

July 26, 2023 – ‘ Doc’ Antle co-defendant pleads guilty in wildlife-trafficking case

 A co-defendant of “Tiger King” star Doc Antle has withdrawn  her not guilty plea from 2022  and entered a guilty plea to wildlife-trafficking charges in U.S. District Court in Florence.

Meredith “Moksha” Bybee entered a guilty plea on Tuesday, alleging she knowingly did or caused another to deliver, receive, carry, transport, ship, sell or offer for sale an endangered species.

Nov. 6, 2023 – ‘Doc’ Antle pleads guilty to federal conspiracy, money-laundering charges, U.S. Justice Department says

Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle pleaded guilty Monday morning to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Antle, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder money, the DOJ said in a news release. The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

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CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Myrtle Beach Safari is not planning to cancel any tours. We are also following the CDC guidelines and taking all necessary health precautions. Should you need to reschedule your tour for a later date, please contact us via email or phone.

witness the wild

By signing up, you agree to receive emails with news, special promotions, and messages tailored to your interests. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Wild Encounters Tour - Night Safari

Wild encounters tour night safari.

• Starts at $389 per person
• Located at our 50 acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• An unforgettable experience in the night of the jungle
• Meet a dazzling array of adult Bengal Tigers
• Feed a 500lb tiger a meaty treat
• Hang out with Bubbles the adult African elephant
• Get up-close and personal with amazing monkeys
• Photo opportunities with playful wild-cats
• Learn about our amazing cheetahs
• Roast marshmallows with the Chimp Brothers
• Animals vary and cannot be guaranteed

This experience is located in one central location

• Starts at 6 pm and is over at approximately 9:30 pm (7 pm - 10:30 pm summer months)
• Reservations are required
• Prices higher on peak dates
• Photographers will be with you all day | Digital copy of all photos included
• No personal cell phones, cameras or video cameras allowed
• All ages can attend
• Price is the same for adults and children
• Amazing encounter rain or shine
• Complimentary dinner and dessert bar
• Not wheelchair or scooter accessible
• E-mail confirmation with additional details will be sent after purchase

Cancellation Policy:

• After 24 hours of purchase your reservation becomes non-refundable. You will be able to reschedule your reservation for up to one year after your original date of purchase. After 12 months tickets expire permanently.
• Any and all changes to your reservation will incur an additional fee. Rescheduling fees vary from $50-$300 per person depending on the new date selected.

Still Have Questions? >>>

Let’s keep in touch, animals you may see:.

Our Fans Go Wild

Get a daily dose of what's going on at T.I.G.E.R.S. preserve! Tag your photos with #myrtlebeachsafari and share your experiences with our online community!

•   Facebook
•   Twitter
•   Pinterest
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Save The Tigers!

CORONAVIRUS UPDATE

Myrtle Beach Safari is not planning to cancel any tours. We are also following the CDC guidelines and taking all necessary health precautions. Should you need to reschedule your tour for a later date, please contact us via email or phone.

witness the wild

By signing up, you agree to receive emails with news, special promotions, and messages tailored to your interests. You can unsubscribe at any time.

Safari Lodge Photo Encounters

Experience the wildside of myrtle beach.

Meet our Animal Ambassadors

Still have questions >>>.

• Starts at $200 for one person
• Located at our 50 acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina
• Brief photo encounter with 3 animals
• Meet a chimpanzee, an african-cat and more!
• Animals vary and cannot be guaranteed

This experience is not a tour of our facility

• Photo encounters last for approximately 3-5 minutes
• Reservations are required
• Photographers will be with you during your encounter | Digital copy of all photos included
• No personal cell phones, cameras or video cameras allowed
• All ages can attend
• Price is the same for adults and children
• Amazing encounter rain or shine
• Chips, Soda and Ice cream included
• Accommodations may be made for wheelchair or scooter; please contact us
• E-mail confirmation with additional details will be sent after purchase

Cancellation Policy: After 24 hours of purchase your reservation becomes non-refundable. You will be able to reschedule your reservation for up to one year after your original date of purchase. After 12 months tickets expire permanently.

Any and all changes to your reservation will incur an additional fee. Rescheduling fees vary from $25-50 per person depending on the new date selected.

Animals You May See:

Our Fans Go Wild

Get a daily dose of what's going on at T.I.G.E.R.S. preserve! Tag your photos with #myrtlebeachsafari and share your experiences with our online community!

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Save The Tigers!

Myrtle Beach Safari Facts | Frequently Asked Questions

Myrtle beach safari, frequently asked questions.

Share this site

We provide guests with inspiring, up-close wildlife encounters.

We educate visitors and encourage their participation in conservation efforts.

We fund wildlife projects worldwide, provide on-site training, and support programs of genetic diversity.

THE MYRTLE BEACH SAFARI (MBS) was founded in 1982 and has grown to be one of the most respected private preserves in the world. That year was pivotal for wildlife conservation. For the first time, thanks to passage of amendments to the Endangered Species Act (ESA), the status of species would be made on the basis of biological importance rather than economic impact. The 1982 ESA amendments created hope of survival for many of the most endangered species.

It soon became evident, however, that traditional zoos had neither the space nor funds to sustain the effort on their own. Private preserves such as the Myrtle Beach Safari (known then as the TIGERS Preserve) stepped in to help. Since its founding, the MBS’s preservation efforts have been instrumental in saving many rare and endangered species from extinction. These include tigers, lions, cheetahs, orangutans, chimpanzees, gibbons, and gorillas.

Explore our Frequently Asked Questions

Meet the caretakers, bhagavan “doc” antle, founder.

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle is the founder and director of the Myrtle Beach Safari, a world-renowned 55-acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina that receives more than three million visitors each year. Doc credits his love of animals to his upbringing on a cattle ranch in Arizona. In his twenties he traveled the globe, settling in China long enough to earn a doctorate in traditional medicine. Today, he is among the most noted animal trainers in the world. His organization sponsors outstanding in-situ conservation programs worldwide, with emphasis on educational initiatives in South America, Africa and Thailand. Doc has worked on more than 500 films, documentaries, TV shows and advertisements promoting best wildlife conservation practices, He is a frequent wildlife expert for networks such as the National Geographic Channel, BBC, Discovery Channel and CNN.

Robert Johnson

Rob earned his Ph.D. in the field of wildlife conservation and has been with the Safari since 1994. He divides his time between teaching Apex Predators class at Coastal Carolina University, managing the Safari property, and directing educational programs. “We’ve hosted thousands of guests here every season,” he says, “and it is inspiring to see visitors transformed by their up-close encounters with wildlife. It’s a hard job, but those kinds of rewards are beyond description.”

Assistant Director

Rajani ferrante.

Rajani earned her degrees in history and anthropology and has served on staff since 1998. She is responsible for managing the Myrtle Beach Safari facilities and is the primary caregiver for all of the Safari’s feline and canine babies. Her interests include history, sports and travel.

General Manager

Moksha bybee.

Moksha grew up in Utah surrounded by farm animals and the wide outdoors. She has been with the Safari since 2001 and goes by the moniker “Monkey Mama,” since she raises all the baby monkeys and apes. She is an avid sportswoman and one of the Safari’s top tour guides.

Kody grew up working with the animals at the preserve. When he was younger he helped his father, Doc Antle, train the smaller cats. Now he is the facility’s main trainer and travels to Asia and Africa to help train staff at other wildlife facilities. Evenings, he sometimes shares his Virtual Reality goggles with the gibbons and chimps before they go to bed.

Director, Miami Facility

China runs the Miami facility. She grew up in Pensacola, Florida and recalls working at Domino’s Pizza at age 17, where her biggest concern was getting enough sauce on each slice. “The time came to live my dream of working with big cats,” she says, “and now I direct our overseas safaris, which include tours to Africa and Thailand. I couldn’t ask for a better life.”

Tawny Sky Antle

Doc’s daughter was born and raised at the preserve and calls her life a dream come true. “Visiting Africa, going with my father on photo shoots, and best of all helping preserve and protect the most beautiful creatures in the world—I wouldn’t trade this life for anything,” she says.

Amy was working at a zoo in Virginia when her sister, China, offered her a job at the preserve. “If she had told me I’d be sleeping with a gibbon in my bed every night,” she says, “I don’t think I would have believed her. But over the last several years, working with these amazing animals has become my life’s passion.”

Chris Heiden

Chris is a professional animal trainer who has been working with exotic animals for more than 20 years. At the preserve, he serves on the development committee for educational programs, conservation efforts, and public outreach.

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‘Doc’ Antle pleads guilty to federal conspiracy, money-laundering charges, U.S. Justice Department says

C HARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle pleaded guilty Monday morning to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Antle, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder money, the DOJ said in a news release. The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Antle, the former ‘Tiger King’ star, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release for each count. South Carolina U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Dawson III accepted Antle’s guilty plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

It’s not the first conviction for Antle . In June, he was found guilty in Virginia of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife. Authorities said he illegally bought endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, that were later put on display in Myrtle Beach.

The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve that offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife. Antle is also the director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.

According to the DOJ, Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and a juvenile chimpanzee — all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Antle used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state. Antle also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as “donations,” the DOJ said.

The investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between February and April 2022, when Antle and a coconspirator conducted financial transactions with cash that they believed was obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens. To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and a co-conspirator took the cash they received and deposited it into accounts they controlled. They would then write a check to the individual who had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction.

Antle pleaded guilty in July 2022 to three wildlife trafficking charges.

“The defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations,” said Todd Kim, assistant attorney general Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals.”

Steve Jensen, special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office, called the guilty plea “a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the FBI and our law enforcement partners in combating illegal financial activities” and said that “the FBI remains committed to upholding the integrity of our financial systems and ensuring justice is served.”

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Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, Pleads Guilty to Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Charges

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, 63, of Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, pleaded guilty today to a conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and a conspiracy to launder money.

Antle is the owner and operator of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve that offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife. Antle is also the Director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.

The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act. Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and one juvenile chimpanzee – all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. Antle used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state. Antle also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as “donations.”

The investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between February and April 2022, when Antle and a coconspirator conducted financial transactions with cash they believed was obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens. To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and his coconspirator would take the cash they received and deposit it into bank accounts they controlled. They would then write a check to the individual that had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction.

“The defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations,” said Assistant Attorney General Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division (ENRD). “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals.”

“The defendant’s guilty plea is a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the FBI and our law enforcement partners in combating illegal financial activities,” said Special Agent in Charge Steve Jensen of the FBI Columbia Field Office. “The FBI remains committed to upholding the integrity of our financial systems and ensuring justice is served.”

“Wildlife crime is often connected with other criminal activity, including money-laundering," said Assistant Director Edward Grace of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, Office of Law Enforcement. “This investigation revealed a pattern of illicit wildlife transactions orchestrated by the defendant under the guise of donations and false paperwork. The Service and our partners will continue to hold accountable those involved in wildlife trafficking and other related crimes to ensure the future of all federally protected species. The Service will continue to bring to justice individuals who profit from the illegal trafficking of big cats and endangered species.”  

“This plea is the product of exemplary collaboration between our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney Adair F. Boroughs for the District of South Carolina. “I commend our team for their work on this case who worked countless hours to unravel Antle’s sophisticated web of financial crimes and interstate wildlife trafficking. Our office remains committed to protecting endangered animals from those who would exploit them for profit.”

For each count, Antle faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. U.S. District Judge Joseph Dawson III for the District of South Carolina accepted Antle’s guilty plea. He will sentence Antle after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

The FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service are investigating the case. Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of ENRD’s Environmental Crimes Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Amy Bower for the District of South Carolina are prosecuting the case.

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Where is Doc Antle Now?

Netflix’s ‘Tiger King’ is an incredible true-crime documentary series that has introduced us to not only the biggest names in the big cat industry but also its dark underworld. Throughout its two seasons, we have explored the life and crimes of the Tiger King himself, Joe Exotic, as well as the alleged actions of Jeff Lowe , Tim Stark , and even Carole Baskin . Doc Antle, though, is only featured in the first installment, making us all the more curious about what he’s up to today. And if you’re here wondering the same, we’ve got you covered.

Doc Antle’s Tiger King Journey

Due to his upbringing on a ranch, Doc Antle has been passionate about wild and exotic animals from quite an early age. From there, he took up the opportunity to travel the world and received a doctorate in Asia, which is how he became Mahamayavi Bhagavan “Doc” Antle. Soon after his return, around 1983, he established The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS) and The Rare Species Fund (RSF) in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, with a mission of wildlife preservation and conservation. Thus, it seems like when Joe Exotic stepped foot into the industry, he looked up to Doc almost as his mentor.

It’s possible that Doc’s work to provide animals for various television shows and films played a part in Joe’s association with him owing to his own need for fame and attention, but it appeared mutually beneficial. However, more importantly, as per the Netflix original, the “mystical science” doctor runs a cult at his facility with the young women he employs, and the innocent animals are also mistreated. Joe even said that once his tiger cubs grow out of the playtime stage, Doc put them in a gas chamber and cremated them on site. Hence, an end title card in the series stating that his park was raided in December 2019 was no surprise.

Following months of inquiries, Doc Antle was charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. These indictments  stem from the accusation that he and another zookeeper trafficked lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina. For years, animal rights activists had criticized Doc and his establishments for their workings, but he always had a defense . That’s why he spoke up about not liking his portrayal in the docuseries as well, but everything is changing now.

View this post on Instagram A post shared by Dr. Bhagavan Antle (@docantle)

After all, Doc waived his right to appear in court in early 2021, which means that his criminal case is now scheduled for July 2022 . Until that time, though, whether he is acquitted or found guilty, he remains a free man who is back at work. From what we can tell, Doc continues to be the director of the 50-acre wildlife preserve, TIGERS, in South Carolina, where his kids, employees, and different kinds of animals surround him even today. He is a public figure, and he tries to make the best of every opportunity that comes his way.

Read More: Where is Joe Exotic Now?

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Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, posing with tigers at his Myrtle Beach Safari zoo in 2018, has been charged with wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty in a case involving lions.

• WILDLIFE WATCH

'Tiger King' star Doc Antle charged with wildlife trafficking

The latest 'Tiger King' star to be charged, the Myrtle Beach Safari owner has been indicted on 15 charges including animal cruelty.

The owner of a popular private zoo in South Carolina who was featured in the television series Tiger King has been indicted in Virginia on 15 charges that include wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty related to his activity with lions .

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, who owns Myrtle Beach Safari, was the prominent face of an attraction that touted cub-petting of tigers long before Joseph Maldonado-Passage, or “Joe Exotic,” gained notoriety earlier this year for his starring role in the Netflix docu-tainment series Tiger King . Antle’s 37-year-old facility, which he runs with three girlfriends and his children, has long been popular with celebrities seeking to cuddle tiger cubs. He and his children have millions of followers on TikTok and Instagram.

On October 8, the Virginia Attorney General’s office charged Antle with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to traffic wildlife, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty.

The charges stem from a months-long investigation into illegal selling and transport of lions between Antle and Keith Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Winchester, Virginia. Wilson has been indicted on identical charges to Antle, plus four additional counts of conspiracy. (Wilson already was facing 46 counts of animal cruelty in relation to a November 2019 raid that resulted in authorities confiscating 119 of his animals.)

It’s illegal to sell lions—protected species under the Endangered Species Act—across state lines.

Two of Antle’s daughters also have been indicted on misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and violating the Endangered Species Act. Antle, Myrtle Beach Safari, and Wilson did not respond to requests for comment.

Tiger King star “Joe Exotic,” meanwhile, is serving 22 years in prison for conspiracy to murder and killing tigers . Other private zoo owners who appeared in Tiger King have faced charges as well: Jeff Lowe lost his license to exhibit animals to the public , and Tim Stark was convicted of animal cruelty and violating the Endangered Species Act (and arrested yesterday for allegedly trying to conceal animals from federal authorities after weeks on the run).

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Tiger King became a pop culture sensation when it was released during the early days of the pandemic lockdown in March, but critics point out that it glosses over the realities of “roadside” zoos—many of which speed-breed tigers so tourists have cubs to cuddle, and frequently fail to provide adequate food, enclosures, and veterinary care.

“It does bring full circle everything we saw in Tiger King ,” says Dan Ashe, CEO of the American Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which accredits more than 200 zoos in the United States—but not cub-petting attractions like Antle’s. “What pretty clearly looked like awful operations [on the show] in fact is true. One by one, we’ve seen Tiger King stars—Tim Stark, Jeff Lowe , and now Doc Antle—be exposed for mistreatment of animals.” (Ashe is also the former director of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, which enforces wildlife trafficking laws.)

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Antle’s social media videos show him and his family swimming with tigers and playing with chimpanzees. They stand in stark contrast to cruelty charges in the indictment, three of which allege that he willfully perpetuated cruelty toward lion cubs in July and August 2019 that produced “torture or unnecessary suffering.”

Antle poses with his tigers and staff (left to right), Kody Antle, Moksha Bybee, and China York, in a pool at Myrtle Beach Safari in 2018. The Antles frequently share videos of themselves swimming with tigers and playing with baby chimpanzees on Instagram and TikTok, where they have millions of followers.

The case was investigated by the Virginia attorney general’s Animal Law Unit, the first state attorney general unit in the country dedicated to investigating animal welfare and abuse cases. To date, the unit has handled 1,714 animal matters, including prosections, trainings, and consultations. “When I created the...Animal Law Unit in 2015 I couldn’t have imagined the results the team would have,” Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring said in an emailed statement to National Geographic.

“It’s been a shining example of what law enforcement should be doing to protect animals,” says Delcianna Winders , director of the Animal Law Litigation Clinic at Lewis & Clark Law School, in Portland, Oregon. She notes that the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the federal agency tasked with enforcing the Animal Welfare Act, gave Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari a clean inspection report both the month before and the month after state authorities searched it in December 2019 as part of this investigation to obtain evidence used for its indictment of Antle.

It’s rare for states to investigate and prosecute animal trafficking cases, she says, and even rarer to follow them out of state, as Virginia officials did by tying Wilson’s activities in Virginia to Antle’s in South Carolina.

But Virginia jurisdiction is limited to in-state activities. It’s up to South Carolina authorities to pursue further investigations into Antle’s Myrtle Beach operation, and federal authorities to pursue investigations into violations of the Animal Welfare Act and federal wildlife trafficking laws.

Antle runs a foundation called the Rare Species Fund, which purports to raise money for wild tiger conservation. He recently announced plans to star in a new reality show, with the goal of changing how he’s publicly perceived. He told People magazine last week that there is a “false analysis that there are tigers in America that are in desperate need of help when the wild tiger is the one that really needs to be saved.” (Read more: There are more tigers in captivity in the U.S. than in the wild.)

Ashe says investigations into such roadside attractions are vital.

“The reason they exist is because people go to them,” he says, noting that there are plenty of accredited zoos in the U.S. for those seeking to view animals. Referring to a mantra he used at the Fish and Wildlife Service while working to stop travelers from buying trafficked animal souvenirs, he said: “Be informed, buy informed.”

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‘A sad, sad tale’: Myrtle Beach Safari’s Doc Antle refutes murder hearsay in Tiger King

There are plenty of immoral allegations against Bhagavan “Doc” Antle in “Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.”

Hypnotism. Drug smuggling and dealing. Improper interactions with teenage girls. Animal cruelty. Being a fake doctor. Running from the police.

And murder.

“ Everyone who told the truth was kicked to the wayside,” Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in Socastee, said of the Netflix docu-series’ casting. “Only those who would take payment for their life stories got to be in the show.”

He ultimately faces charges only on those that deal with animals.

The biggest and most serious allegation that many in the show speculated about was that he pushed his friend and No. 2 in charge at his Virginia zoo, Mark “Mitra” Topping, off a cliff, where he fell to his death.

However, as Antle pointed out, the show itself appears to discount the allegation when Paul Lewis, who accompanied Topping to Crabtree Falls, where he died, said that Topping’s chance-taking ways were what led to his death.

“ He falls off a cliff and dies and they push you for a long time that he was murdered for some reason,” Antle said of the docu-series’ narrative in episode 3, the finale. “They run that story pretty good. I have a lot of people writing me and saying that now they know I will go to jail for this murder of my friend who fell off of a cliff.”

One of Antle’s ex-wives, Sumati Steinberg, says in the show that she was supposed to go on a date with Topping the day he died, May 28, 1989. There are others in the show who said Topping was owed tens of thousands of dollars and wanted out of the animal business, implying that perhaps that would be Antle’s motivation to kill him.

“If you really take the time to roll it, the murder is so dang silly,” Antle said. “And in the end they say ‘Oops. That didn’t happen, but the guy likes peaches.’ That’s like the whole ending moment.

“So if you don’t watch it all the way through they are pretending that my buddy, who lived with me and a guy who hung with me for years, fell off of a cliff a hundred miles from my house.”

It’s mentioned in the show that Antle did not attend Topping’s funeral. However, Antle had only nice things to say about his friend.

“It’s a sad, sad tale of a thrill-seeking free-hand rock climber, a powerful, good-looking, strong man, but everybody can slip,” Antle said. “He’s halfway down a mountain when he slips. I certainly do not rock climb. I was not at his side. I never felt I needed to challenge a mountain. I love a tiger, but I’m not challenging mountains. It’s not my M.O.”

The series also tells tales of Antle’s hypnotizing ways, drug smuggling and dealing, improper interactions with teenage girls, animal cruelty, running from the police and being a fake doctor in the 1980s, when he was part of what they describe as a cult called “Yogaville.”

Antle, however, said many of the people interviewed for the show, such as magician Steven Diamond, barely knew him despite being portrayed as experts on his life.

“The kid that narrates, he does a good job because he’s a professional stage magician, but he’s just a kid I hired when he was a teenager to do a couple blip jobs,” Antle said of Diamond, who’s featured prominently in the series. “For me, there’s just moments in my life, but I didn’t know him. He didn’t hang out with me. He wasn’t my friend.

“He’s just a whole other kind of character. Yeah, he was a background guy on a couple of jobs that had 30 or 40 full-time staff. He’s one of 30 or 40 full-time staff. He was hanging around, but he narrates the show as if he has a personal relationship.”

Antle essentially discounted all of the tales told aside from some of what his three ex-wives said. He also mentions that two of his kids who he had with two of the ex-wives live with him now and love him.

“It was to tell a tale and almost everybody in there, pretty much every single person in there, except for, of course my first, second and third wives, every person in there hasn’t spent a dozen hours with me,” said Antle, who says he’s suing Netflix over the original Tiger King series he was featured on. “I have no relationship with them. They’re just making up their ideas.”

He also said that many of the people interviewed in the original Tiger King and The Doc Antle Story – he was barely featured in Tiger King 2 – were portrayed as if they worked for him when that wasn’t true.

“They always show these pictures of these characters hugging tigers and feeding a monkey. But everybody does that who meets me. That’s what you do. You pay a fee and you hug a tiger and feed the monkeys. That’s what I sell,” Antle said. “People often pretend that these images of them make it as though they worked there. Eddie Murphy didn’t work for me, but I sure made him look like Dr. Doolittle.”

Antle called The Doc Antle Story “poorly done,” though he thought the original Tiger King was well-done despite being what he’s called entertainment and not a true documentary.

The series ends with a very brief mention of serious charges Antle is facing in Virginia.

He is facing felony charges in Virginia related to illegal wildlife trafficking. He was indicted in October 2020 following a months-long investigation by the Virginia Attorney General’s animal law unit, according to a news release from the office.

Antle’s charges include felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy to commit wildlife trafficking, along with misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act.

The charges are related to lion cubs transported from a Virginia facility, Wilson’s Wild Animal Park, to Antle’s facility in Myrtle Beach, also known as The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.). The animal cruelty indictments allege he carried or caused the lions to be carried in a “cruel, brutal, or inhumane manner, so as to produce torture or unnecessary suffering.”

Antle’s jury trial is set to begin July 25, 2022 in Fredick Circuit Court, according to Virginia court records.

However, the docu-series focuses mostly on Antle’s personal life.

“They interviewed enough people that they had all of the information they needed 100 percent. But they wanted a certain tract just like Tiger King 1. They wanted a story they thought would sell,” he said. “Tiger King is by no means a documentary. It is the greatest story ever told that didn’t happen. It’s that simple. It’s silly s***.”

This story was originally published December 26, 2021, 6:58 AM.

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‘it’s all a joke’: myrtle beach safari owner gives take on upcoming ‘tiger king’ season, tiger king’s latest docu-series will zoom in on myrtle beach safari’s doc antle.

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Doc Antle of ‘Tiger King’ Is Convicted on Wildlife Trafficking Charges

Bhagavan Antle, who was found guilty on four felony counts, will be sentenced in September. He was cleared of the misdemeanor animal cruelty charges that he faced.

By Orlando Mayorquin

The owner of an animal park in South Carolina who was featured on the popular Netflix documentary “Tiger King” was convicted in Virginia last week on wildlife trafficking charges, state prosecutors announced.

Bhagavan Antle, better known as Doc Antle, was charged in October 2020 with illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Virginia for display at the park, Myrtle Beach Safari, along with nine misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. A Virginia jury convicted him on Friday of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic, prosecutors said. Mr. Antle was cleared of all the misdemeanor charges he faced.

Each felony count is punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment, according to state law . Mr. Antle is to be sentenced on Sept. 14.

Mr. Antle’s daughters Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, who also faced misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, were cleared of all counts.

Mr. Antle made frequent appearances on “Tiger King,” the 2020 hit series that offered Americans quarantined during the pandemic an intimate look into the underbelly of the “big cat” trade in the United States.

The show’s eccentric star, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known as Joe Exotic, is serving a 21-year sentence in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot that targeted Carole Baskin, an animal-rights activist. She criticized Mr. Maldonado-Passage’s treatment of animals at his Oklahoma zoo and appeared on the Netflix show.

Mr. Antle, who is currently facing money laundering charges in a separate federal court case in South Carolina, denied “any act or conduct that could ever be considered as ‘animal cruelty,’” in a statement when the charges in Virginia were announced in 2020.

Jason Miyares, the state attorney general, said in a news release that the jury’s decision “sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”

Virginia law allows the trade of endangered wildlife, which includes lions, “for zoological, educational, or scientific purposes,” and for “preservation purposes,” only with special permission from a state board.

Mr. Antle’s lawyer, Erin Harrigan, called the jury’s decision not to convict Mr. Antle on the misdemeanor charges “a significant victory against spurious allegations of animal cruelty.” Ms. Harrigan said the felony offenses on which her client was convicted “amount to failing to obtain a permit for otherwise entirely lawful activity,” calling them “paperwork violations.”

The attorney general’s office, then headed by Mark R. Herring, charged Mr. Antle in 2020 following a monthslong investigation into Mr. Antle’s ties with a Virginia-based zoo owner, Keith A. Wilson, who was also indicted on wildlife trafficking charges.

An online court database showed on Wednesday that Mr. Wilson’s case was still open.

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‘Tiger King’ star ‘Doc’ Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia

FILE - This image provided by the Horry County Sheriff’s Office in Conway, S.C., shows Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series “Tiger King”, who has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general’s office announced Tuesday, June 20, 2023. Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Va., for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo,. (Horry County Sheriff’s Office via AP)

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WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — A wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general’s office announced Tuesday.

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo, Attorney General Jason Miyares said in a news release . A jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic.

Antle, who owns the Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness,” a Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders.

The jury acquitted Antle of five counts of animal cruelty and Judge Alexander Iden dismissed four additional animal cruelty charges against Antle and all charges against his two adult daughters, The Winchester Star reported .

Prosecutor Michelle Welch said Myrtle Beach Safari’s lucrative petting zoo motivated Antle to maintain a steady supply of immature lion cubs that he purchased from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park near Winchester, calling the arrangement a “cub pipeline” from Virginia to South Carolina.

When Antle and Keith Wilson, the park’s former owner, began doing business in 2015, it was still legal to buy and sell lions, Welch said. But after lions were designated as an endangered species in December 2015, lions could only be traded between zoos and wildlife preserves that were part of an established breeding program and had permits. There were three illegal cub exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Welch said.

Antle was indicted in 2020 on several offenses including felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy. In August 2019, 119 animals — including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats and water buffalo — were seized from Wilson’s roadside zoo after a judge found that Wilson “cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived” the animals of adequate care.

Wilson testified that Antle paid him in advance under the guise of a donation. He said Antle paid $2,500 to $3,000 per cub with the exception of the 2017 transaction when Antle traded three lynx kittens for three lion cubs.

Wilson is charged with nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and 10 felony counts of selling an endangered species and a hearing in his case is scheduled for Friday.

Defense attorney Erin Harrigan called Antle’s prosecution politically motivated in response to a growing public outcry against wild animals being exploited for entertainment purposes.

“This has been an agenda in search of a crime from the beginning of the investigation,” Harrigan said.

Harrigan maintained that the cubs were gifts and Antle sent Wilson donations for an expanded tiger habitat.

“These were not sales,” Harrigan said.

Iden allowed Antle, who faces up to 20 years in prison, to remain free on bond pending sentencing on Sept. 14.

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Tiger King’s ‘Doc’ Antle convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia

The Myrtle Beach Safari owner was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs for display and profit at his zoo

A wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series Tiger King has been convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the attorney general’s office announced on Tuesday.

Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Frederick county, Virginia, for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo, Jason Miyares, the attorney general, said in a news release. A jury convicted Antle on Friday of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic.

Antle, who owns the Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, a Netflix documentary miniseries that focused on tiger breeders.

The jury acquitted Antle of five counts of animal cruelty and Judge Alexander Iden dismissed four additional animal cruelty charges against Antle and all charges against his two adult daughters, the Winchester Star reported.

Prosecutor Michelle Welch said Myrtle Beach Safari’s lucrative petting zoo motivated Antle to maintain a steady supply of immature lion cubs that he purchased from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park near Winchester, calling the arrangement a “cub pipeline” from Virginia to South Carolina.

When Antle and Keith Wilson, the park’s former owner, began doing business in 2015, it was still legal to buy and sell lions, Welch said. But after lions were designated as an endangered species in December 2015, lions could only be traded between zoos and wildlife preserves that were part of an established breeding program and had permits. There were three illegal cub exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019, Welch said.

Antle was indicted in 2020 on several offenses including felony counts of wildlife trafficking and conspiracy. In August 2019, 119 animals – including lions, tigers, bears, camels, goats and water buffalo – were seized from Wilson’s roadside zoo after a judge found that Wilson “cruelly treated, neglected, or deprived” the animals of adequate care.

Wilson testified that Antle paid him in advance under the guise of a donation. He said Antle paid $2,500 to $3,000 for a cub with the exception of the 2017 transaction when Antle traded three lynx kittens for three lion cubs.

Wilson is charged with nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty and 10 felony counts of selling an endangered species and a hearing in his case is scheduled for Friday.

Defense attorney Erin Harrigan called Antle’s prosecution politically motivated in response to a growing public outcry against wild animals being exploited for entertainment purposes.

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“This has been an agenda in search of a crime from the beginning of the investigation,” Harrigan said.

Harrigan maintained that the cubs were gifts and Antle sent Wilson donations for an expanded tiger habitat.

“These were not sales,” Harrigan said.

Iden allowed Antle, who faces up to 20 years in prison, to remain free on bond pending sentencing on 14 September.

• South Carolina

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