Tiger King's Doc Antle has been charged with animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking.
The safari park owner, who appeared in the Netflix documentary earlier this year, is accused of allegedly trafficking lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina, along with Keith A Wilson, another animal park owner.
According to The Independent, Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle, the owner of Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, has been charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanour counts of animal cruelty.
Meanwhile, Wilson's Wild Animal Park owner Keith A Wilson has been charged with one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanour counts of violating the Endangered Species Act, four misdemeanour counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanour counts of animal cruelty.
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Doc Antle's daughters, Tawny Antle and Tilakum Watterson, have also been charged with misdemeanour counts of animal cruelty and of violating the Endangered Species Act.
The charges, which were announced on Friday by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring's office, are a result of a long investigation into the relationship between Antle and Wilson, which allegedly "found that both men trafficked lion cubs between Virginia and South Carolina", according to the attorney general's office.
Antle's house in South Carolina was searched in December 2019, according to the authorities.
Earlier this year, Antle spoke out against Tiger King for making "salacious" claims.
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In the documentary, it was claimed that the safari park owner euthanised tiger cubs when they were no longer of petting age, and that he had a harem of nine wives at his safari estate.
However, Antle refuted the claims, saying that the documentary was a "salacious outrageous ride through a television show produced to create drama."
Tiger King is available to stream now on Netflix.
Featured Image Credit: NetflixTopics: Tiger King, Entertainment, News, TV News