Tiger King Star Pleads Guilty to Wildlife Trafficking Charges

Bhagavan Mahamayavi Antle, also known as Doc Antle on Tiger King, has recently plead guilty to wildlife trafficking and money laundering charges. Antle admitted that he directed the sale and purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers, and one juvenile chimpanzee, all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act. It was released that Antle hid the transaction through bulk cash payments and falsified documents, and by requesting that the payments for the animals be made to his nonprofit so they would appear as donations. The Tiger King star faces up to five years in prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release for each count. Antle owns a private zoo in South Carolina called Myrtle Beach Safari, which was featured in the hit TV show. However, Antle is not the only star of the show who has been convicted and faced jail time. Star of the show, Joe Exotic, was convicted in 2019 and sentenced to 22 years in prison for 17 counts of animal abuse and 2 counts of attempted murder-for-hire. He was also convicted of wildlife violations tied to the killing of five tigers, selling tiger cubs, and falsifying records. However, Exotic is running in the 2024 presidential election for the Democratic party as he has done for the past three elections.