Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, known for his appearance in the Netflix show Tiger King has been arrested by the FBI in South Carolina.
According to the Horry County booking records the 62-year-old was booked yesterday, June 3, however, no charges have been listed.
Who is Doc Antle?
Doc is an American animal trainer and the operator of the private zoo Myrtle Beach Safari however, the handler came to worldwide fame after the 2020 hit series Tiger King aired. However, his career goes back decades.
He got his first big cat in 1982 and he claimed it took only six months for the tiger to let him pet it. Once he developed his animal handling services, he was recruited for films like Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls and Mighty Joe Young.
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Doc is also the subject of his own Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story, which revealed he was actually born with ‘Kevin’ but was changed to ‘Bhagavan’ meaning ‘friend of God’. However, the origins of how he got the name vary in theories.
The handler has come under quite a lot of criticism in the past especially from PETA for allowing celebrity guests like Beyoncé, Floyd Mayweather, and Larsa Pippen to physically interact with wild animals.
Brushes with the law
Doc, who is still currently incarcerated in Horry County, has had other brushes with the law, in October 2020 the animal trainer was indicted for felony wildlife trafficking in Virginia, after he allegedly trafficked lion cubs between South Carolina and Virginia.
As per the state’s attorney general, Doc was charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, and 13 misdemeanour charges relating to animal cruelty and the Endangered Species Act.
This time his charges have not been released, but TMZ report he is due to appear in court next week.