Tiger King's Doc Antle Indicted on Wildlife Trafficking Charges

If you watched Netflix's popular documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, [...]

By Charlie Ridgely

If you watched Netflix's popular documentary series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, you're sure to recognize the name and face of Bhagavan "Doc" Antle, who runs a wildlife park in Myrtle Beach. The man known for his white ponytail and creepy demeanor is every bit as controversial as Tiger King's main figure, Joe Exotic, and it looks like he's finally the attention for his wrongdoings that many have felt were coming for quite some time. On Friday, news broke that Antle had been indicted on multiple wildlife trafficking charges.

According to Variety, an investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring's animal law unit has concluded that Antle and Keith A. Wilson, the owner of Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Frederick County, Virginia trafficked lion cubs between states.

Antle faces 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. Wilson has been charged with all of the same crimes, in addition to four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act.

Two of Antle's daughters were also indicted along with him on Wednesday. Tawny Antle faces one misdemeanor count of cruelty to animals and one misdemeanor count of violating the Endangered Species Act. Tilakam Watterson has been charged with two misdemeanor counts of cruelty to animals and two misdemeanor counts of violating the Endangered Species act.

The main focus of Tiger King, Joseph Allen Maldonado-Passage (Joe Exotic), is currently serving a prison sentence for his role in a murder-for-hire plot against his rival, Big Cat Rescue founder Carole Baskin. Additionally, there remains speculation in Baskin's involvement in the disappearance of her former husband, Don Lewis, but there has been no concrete evidence to support those claims. Baskin has continually maintained her innocence in the case.

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