Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, the eccentric big-cat handler who rose to pop culture infamy thanks to Netflix’s Tiger King, has just been sentenced to a year and a day in federal prison. The charges? A mix of serious crimes, including trafficking endangered animals and laundering over half a million dollars.
His sentencing went down on July 8, 2025, in Charleston, South Carolina, and it’s a big moment in the push to clamp down on the shady world of exotic animal trade.
Doc Antle: A Blow to the Exotic Animal Underground
Doc Antle, who founded the Myrtle Beach Safari in South Carolina, pleaded guilty to violating the Lacey Act, a law that cracks down on illegal wildlife trafficking. Prosecutors said Doc Antle wasn’t just showing off exotic animals for Instagram likes; he was moving lion cubs, cheetahs, tigers, and even a baby chimpanzee across state lines, often with bogus paperwork to cover his tracks.
The Lacey Act, for those unfamiliar, makes it illegal to buy, sell, or move wildlife that’s been illegally taken or transported. Doc Antle’s actions, according to the feds, not only broke the law but also put the animals’ lives in danger. Imagine being torn from your mother as a baby cub just to be sold off like a novelty.
But it wasn’t just the animals. Authorities said Doc Antle also laundered more than $500,000, money allegedly tied to an illegal immigration scheme and funneled through fake “donations.”
A Price to Pay and Then Some
In addition to the prison sentence, Doc Antle was fined $55,000 and will be under supervised release for three years after his release. The court also ordered him to forfeit over $197,000 and give up three chimpanzees linked to his illegal operations.
In court, Antle seemed remorseful. “I take full responsibility for my actions and understand the gravity of my mistakes,” he said. Whether it was genuine or not is up for debate, but the statement marked a rare moment of accountability.
Strangely enough, despite the conviction, his Myrtle Beach Safari remains open to the public—a move that’s frustrating animal welfare groups who say it’s business as usual for someone just convicted of trafficking living, breathing creatures.
Peeling Back the Curtain on a Long-Running Scam
The case against Antle peeled back years of carefully concealed illegal dealings. Investigators found fake records, cash payments disguised as charitable donations, and disturbing evidence that animals were taken from their mothers way too early and kept in less-than-ideal conditions.
Much of this came to light thanks to the Tiger King docuseries, which introduced viewers to a bizarre world of private zoos, ego-driven showmen, and sketchy animal welfare practices. While the show made Antle a household name, it also put him and others like him under a microscope.
Animal Advocates Say This Is Just the Start
In the wake of the sentencing, animal rights organizations like PETA and the Humane Society cheered the ruling, but they weren’t popping champagne. Their message? This is just the tip of the iceberg.
This sentence is a victory for the animals exploited for profit and spectacle, one advocate said. But the fight isn’t over.
They’re now pushing harder for federal laws that would ban the private ownership and sale of exotic wildlife altogether. They also want tougher enforcement of existing laws like the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, because as long as places like Myrtle Beach Safari stay open, animals remain at risk.
So while Doc Antle’s sentencing may feel like justice, advocates argue it’s also a wake-up call. The problem isn’t just one man; it’s an entire industry built on exploiting creatures that were never meant to live in cages or be paraded around for profit.
