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

Associated Press

WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — Virginia’s attorney general says a wild animal trainer featured in the popular Netflix series “Tiger King” has been convicted of wildlife trafficking. Attorney General Jason Miyares said Tuesday that Bhagavan “Doc” Antle was accused of illegally buying endangered lion cubs in Virginia for display and profit at his South Carolina zoo. A jury convicted Antle of two felony counts each of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife traffic. Antle, who owns the Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in the Netflix documentary “Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness.” The Winchester Star reports that 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.