PETA Statement: ‘Doc’ Antle May Be Released, But Fresh Charges Are Expected

For Immediate Release:
June 27, 2022

Contact:
David Perle 202-483-7382

Florence, S.C. –

Tiger King villain and Myrtle Beach Safari operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle will reportedly be released on a $250,000 bond to his wild-animal park. Below, please find a statement from PETA Foundation Associate Director for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Michelle Sinnott:

“Doc” Antle’s days of harassing big cats for photo ops are numbered, as the FBI agent who testified at Antle’s detention hearing made it clear that additional federal charges are expected within the month. PETA blew the whistle on Antle’s apparent “charity” scam, and now that he faces state wildlife trafficking and federal money laundering charges, his legal woes are mounting—making it only a matter of time before this sleazy showman is finally shut down.

More details about Antle’s exploitation of animals are available here.

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to use for entertainment or abuse in any other way”—opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org or follow the group on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram.