Bhagavan “Doc” Antle of Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness fame found himself amid an investigation back in December. The Myrtle Beach Safari director was visited by South Carolina law enforcements who were there to follow-up with a multi-state investigation regarding three lions who were under the care of Antle.
According to a story on ABC 15, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED) agents ended up serving warrants while at the facility. Antle was among the zookeepers featured on the new Netflix documentary, which quickly became a viral sensation. The show also saw itself rise to the top of the charts at Rotten Tomatoes. As for the investigation, which occurred after filming, Antle fully cooperated as the three lions had their DNA tested, proving that they hailed from Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Virginia, where Antle told enforcement he received them from.
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ABC WHSV discovered that the Virgina zoo had actually had more than 100 animals seized after being indicted on 46 counts of animal cruelty.
“We have the three lions they’re fabulous little babies that are here with us,” Antle said to the outlet. “Many of our guests this summer all hugged them and met them and those lions are permanent residents here at the preserve. The lions are part of an ongoing investigation the state is working on and they wanted us to try and help them look at the trail of where the lions had come from and any ideas or evidence we had about what the lion’s lives had been before they moved here to Myrtle Beach Safari.”
Antle explained that officials came there just to get more information about another investigation going on and that nothing was concerning with anything going on at The Myrtle Beach Safari.
“To me, it’s a giant exercise in futility and that the fed has records of all of this already but the state, somehow, not the state of South Carolina, but the state of Virginia, kind of came at it from another direction,” Antle continued. “There’s a process that happens where government veterinarians come to our facility every 90 to 120 days, approximately. They watch every animal that comes and goes, whether it’s born or it’s brought in to the property as a donation or some other means that we acquire it. They check all of those.”
As for what Antle thought of his Netflix debut, as seen from the viewers perspective, it turns out he wasn’t too pleased. In a since-deleted Facebook post, Antle called the whole thing “sensationalized” and that none of what went on between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin reflects his business.
