Tiger King star jailed for buying endangered animals for road-side zoo
Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle featured in the viral Netflix series about animal keeper Joe Exotic's feud with rival keeper Carole Baskin
One of the stars of Netflix’s documentary Tiger King has been sentenced to a year in prison after admitting to buying endangered animals to keep at his South Carolina zoo.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, 65, also forfeited three chimpanzees and nearly $200,000 after pleading guilty to trafficking in exotic animals and money laundering.
Tiger King told the story of Joe Exotic (whose real name is Joseph Maldonado) who was sentenced to 21 years in prison for trying to hire a hitman to kill Carole Baskin, the owner of an organisation called Big Cat Rescue. The dispute surrounded allegations made by Baskin that Exotic exploited and abused wild animals at his own private zoo in Oklahoma.
Antle featured in the first season of the documentary and was the focus of its third. He has previously been convicted of wildlife trafficking and also accused of running a cult. His most recent conviction relates to allegations that he laundered money to buy chimpanzees, lions, tigers and cheetahs, endangered animals that are illegal to sell.
Attorney Bryan Stirling said: "Doc Antle portrayed himself as a conservationist. But in reality, he was a key player in the illegal chimpanzee trade, and he laundered more than half a million dollars through a complex web of deceit.”
Read the full story here.
Pakistan: In another reminder of the dangers of keeping wild animals as pets, an escaped lion attacked three people in Lahore, Pakistan. CCTV footage showed the animal jumping a wall and chasing a woman down. The woman and two children, aged five and seven, were injured but survived. The lion's owner has been arrested on suspicion of negligence and keeping a wild animal without a licence. The lion has been relocated to a wildlife park. (BBC)
Thailand: Customs officials who searched a man after spotting an odd bulge in his underwear discovered three pythons. The man was arrested in Sri Lanka last year on suspicion of wildlife crimes and officers were tipped off that he was due to arrive in Bangkok. The day after he arrived when he attempted to leave he was stopped and the snakes were found hidden in a soft mesh mag. (Miami Herald)
South Africa: Four men have been jailed for 15 years each for attempting to smuggle more than 300 protected succulent plants out of South Africa. The plants in question are prized internationally for their rarity but are endangered. The Namaqualand region is a frequent target of poachers due to the rare plants which grow there. The sentence is notably heavy for wildlife crimes, which are often treated softly by comparison to other serious offences. (DFA)
Malawi: Conservationists have criticised the pardoning in Malawi of two Chinese nationals accused of operating a syndicate which smuggled ivory across southern Africa. When they were arrested in 2019 they were in possession of elephant tusks which were traced to animals killed in Malawi. They also had more than eight tonnes of pangolin scales, which are illegal to sell globally. They have reportedly now been pardoned, threatening Malawi’s international reputation as a country which challenges trafficking. (Telegraph)
Bangladesh: Bangladeshi river police arrested 337 people suspected of illegal fishing in a seven-day operation across the country. A massive quantity of nets it says were used for illegal fishing were also seized, alongside fish stock itself. Cases were also filed in naval court against 94 vessels. (BSS News)
UK: A man who shared social media videos of his dogs attacking other animals has been sentenced to 20 months in a young offender’s institution. The 20-year-old from Barnsley, in northern England, had admitted the offences. Three dogs were seized from his home and the man has been banned from contact with animals for 12 years. (BBC)
India: More than 400kg of peacock feathers were seized from a market in Pune, India, in connection with a tip off about smuggling. The feathers were apparently sourced around the country and then transported to the city by train. It is one of the largest seizures of its kind in recent times. (Hindustan Times)
Ukraine: President Zelensky of Ukraine has signed a law ensuring traceability of fish and fish products from catch and consumer. This brings the at-war country closer to European standards and will make it easier to combat illegal fishing. (Agronews)
India: A man with 45 animals in his suitcase, including iguanas, raccoons and foxes, has been arrested after being stopped at an airport in India. Many of the animals had died from suffocation before they were found. The surviving animals will be returned to their home country, officials said. (Times of India)
UK: Vandals destroyed two bird nests created for sand martins in central England. The trust which created the nests said the actions had “set back” plans to create a new sand martin colony in the area. The backs of the nests were smashed in and sand-filled nesting tubes were thrown in a lake. (BBC)