The new spinoff documentaryTiger King: The Doc Antle Storyis streaming on Netflix, and the newfound attention on Bhagavan “Doc” Antle has PETA demanding a criminal investigation. Previously, Antle was featured in the original hit seriesTiger King: Murder, Madness and Mayhem. He serves as the primary subject of the new three-part spinoff series which has just made its debut on Netflix a month afterTiger King’s second season premiered.
As far as PETA is concerned, the only news about Antle should be about theTiger Kingstar finally being held accountable for his alleged crimes. An open letter released by the organization states, “Since the first season ofTiger King, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited or sued every animal-exploiting roadside exhibitor featured in the series for animal welfare violations—except for Myrtle Beach Safari operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, so today, PETA fired offa letterdemanding that the agency start holding him accountable.”
The organization adds, “Antle breeds big-cat cubs, prematurely separates them from their mothers, and forces them—including as juveniles and as adults—into stressful and dangerous on-camera encounters with influencers, athletes, other ‘VIPs,’ and members of the public under a ‘closed set’ exemption that does not legally exist and appears to be reserved just for him. The USDA is greenlighting these potentially deadly publicity stunts, despite officially maintaining that using big cats in this way violates the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In 2005, the USDA told Antle that these animal encounters violated the AWA, prompting him to sue—and lose. But his reckless stunts have continued.”
“Turning a camera on does not suddenly make it safe or acceptable to harass and mistreat big cats,” saysPETAFoundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “Antle is not above the law, and PETA is calling on the USDA to throw the book at him at long last for brazen animal exploitation and human endangerment.”
“Antle’s stunts also fly in the face of the USDA’s recent official advisory urging big-cat exhibitors to suspend hands-on animal encounters during the pandemic—and for good reason, as COVID-19 is transmissible to humans from other species and animals at zoos across the country have contracted the disease from humans,” PETA’s statement adds.
The originalTiger Kingseries didn’t paint “Doc” Antle in the most flattering light. He has since suggested thatthe portrayal of him wasn’t accurate, telling TMX.news, “Remember, this is not a documentary. This is a salacious, outrageous ride through a television show produced to create drama.”
Tiger King: The Doc Antle Storyis now streaming on Netflix, as are the first two seasons ofTiger King.Joe Exotic, one of the subjects of theTiger Kingfranchise, has been serving time in prison on murder-for-hire and animal cruelty charges; he was recently transferred to a medical facility following a cancer diagnosis. From behind bars, Exotic was involved with the second season ofTiger King.
Time will tell if Antle ends up going to court as PETA is hoping for. This news comes to us fromPETA.
