Latest news with #exoticAnimals
The Independent
08-07-2025
- Entertainment
- The Independent
Latest 'Tiger King' twist finds 'Doc' Antle facing possible prison sentence for animal trafficking
Five years after the true crime documentary 'Tiger King' captivated a country shut down by COVID-19, the final legal troubles for one of its main characters will be resolved Tuesday in a courtroom in South Carolina. Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle faces up to 10 years in prison for trafficking in exotic animals and money laundering after pleading guilty in November 2023. Exactly what punishment prosecutors are asking for and any arguments for leniency from Antle's attorneys were kept from the public before Tuesday morning's hearing in federal court in Charleston. Three others who pleaded guilty in his investigation received either probation or a four-month prison sentence. Antle's sentence is the final true-life chapter of the Tiger King saga. The Netflix series debuted in March 2020 near the peak of COVID-19 restrictions. The show centered on dealers and conservationists of big cats, focusing on disputes between Joe Exotic, a collector and private zookeeper from Oklahoma, and Carole Baskin, who runs Big Cat Rescue in Florida. Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, is serving a 21-year federal prison sentence for trying to hire two different men to kill Baskin. Antle, who owns a private zoo called Myrtle Beach Safari, appeared in the first season of the documentary and was the star of the third season. Antle's zoo was known for charging hundreds or thousands of dollars to let people pet and hold baby animals like lions, tigers and monkeys that were so young they were still being bottle-fed. Customers could have photos or videos made. Antle would sometimes ride into tours on an elephant. Myrtle Beach Safari remains open by reservation only, according to its website. Antle has remained out on bail since his arrest in June 2022. Antle's federal charges were brought after the Tiger King series. Prosecutors said he sold or bought cheetahs, lions, tigers and a chimpanzee without the proper paperwork. And they said in a separate scheme, Antle laundered more than $500,000 that an informant told him was being used to get people into the U.S. illegally to work. Antle was used to having large amounts of money he could move around quickly, investigators said. The FBI was listening to Antle's phone calls with the informant as he explained a baby chimpanzee could easily cost $200,000. Private zookeepers can charge hundreds of dollars for photos with docile young primates or other animals, but the profit window is only open for a few years before the growing animals can no longer be safely handled. 'I had to get a monkey, but the people won't take a check. They only take cash. So what do you do?" Antle said according to a transcript of the phone call in court papers. Two of Antle's employees have already been sentenced for their roles in his schemes. Meredith Bybee was given a year of probation for selling a chimpanzee while Andrew 'Omar' Sawyer, who prosecutors said helped Antle launder money, was given two years of probation. Jason Clay, a Texas private zoo owner, pleaded guilty to illegally selling a primate and was sentenced to four months in prison, while charges were dropped against California ranch owner Charles Sammut. Antle was also convicted in 2023 in a Virginia court of four counts of wildlife trafficking over sales of lions and was sentenced to two years of prison suspended 'upon five years of good behavior.' An appeals court overturned two of the convictions, ruling that Virginia law bans the sale of endangered species but not their purchase. Antle was found not guilty of five counts of animal cruelty at that same Virginia trial.
Arab News
07-07-2025
- Arab News
Lion owners arrested after attack on woman, two children in Pakistan
LAHORE: The owners of a pet lion that escaped from a farmhouse and injured a woman and her two children have been arrested in the eastern Pakistani city of Lahore, authorities said Sunday. The arrest comes after dramatic video footage surfaced showing the lion leaping over a wall before attacking the victims in a residential area. The woman and her 5-and 7-year-old children sustained injuries to their faces and arms on Wednesday night when the lion escaped from its cage, police official Faisal Kamran said. According to a police report, the children's father told police that the lion's owners stood by and watched as the animal clawed at his family, making no effort to restrain it. The lion later returned to the owners' farmhouse and was relocated to a wildlife park, police said. Keeping exotic animals such as lions is considered a status symbol among some wealthy Pakistanis, despite the legal requirements and high fees associated with ownership.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Yahoo
A baby tiger was reported on the side of a California highway. The CHP found something very different
The California Highway Patrol responded to a call this week of a possible baby tiger stranded on the side of a highway in San Luis Obispo County. But what they actually discovered was less feline and more feathery. The supposed cub was spotted along a remote stretch of Highway 166, which connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley, according to a CHP traffic log. A driver passing through the area Thursday afternoon reported what appeared to be a baby tiger on the roadside. A CHP officer sent to investigate the incident stumbled instead upon a dead hawk, not a tiger cub. The California Department of Transportation, which is responsible for removing dead animals from state highways, was notified about the deceased bird. It is unclear what caused the caller's zoological mix-up. Owning exotic animals like tigers is prohibited under California law, as they pose a threat to public safety and native wildlife, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Permits are exclusive to zoos, shelters, research facilities or educational institutions. The Big Cat Public Safety Act — a federal law enacted in 2022 — prevents unlicensed people from possessing, breeding and transporting big cats. A man and woman were charged in 2022 after purchasing a jaguar cub and transporting it from Texas to California for commercial activity. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Yahoo
A baby tiger was reported on the side of a California highway. The CHP found something very different
The California Highway Patrol responded to a call this week of a possible baby tiger stranded on the side of a highway in San Luis Obispo County. But what they actually discovered was less feline and more feathery. The supposed cub was spotted along a remote stretch of Highway 166, which connects the Central Coast to the southern San Joaquin Valley, according to a CHP traffic log. A driver passing through the area Thursday afternoon reported what appeared to be a baby tiger on the roadside. A CHP officer sent to investigate the incident stumbled instead upon a dead hawk, not a tiger cub. The California Department of Transportation, which is responsible for removing dead animals from state highways, was notified about the deceased bird. It is unclear what caused the caller's zoological mix-up. Owning exotic animals like tigers is prohibited under California law, as they pose a threat to public safety and native wildlife, according to the state Department of Fish and Wildlife. Permits are exclusive to zoos, shelters, research facilities or educational institutions. The Big Cat Public Safety Act — a federal law enacted in 2022 — prevents unlicensed people from possessing, breeding and transporting big cats. A man and woman were charged in 2022 after purchasing a jaguar cub and transporting it from Texas to California for commercial activity. Sign up for Essential California for news, features and recommendations from the L.A. Times and beyond in your inbox six days a week. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
CTV News
27-06-2025
- General
- CTV News
Authorities investigating after large boa constrictor captured in B.C. park
The conservation service says its officers receive special training in the proper handling of a variety of exotic animals that fall under the Controlled Alien Species regulations. (Handout) Conservation officers in British Columbia are investigating after a large boa constrictor was located and captured in a provincial park on Vancouver Island. A statement from the B.C. Conservation Officer Service says the agency 'safely captured' the five-foot snake that was loose in Miracle Beach Provincial Park on Thursday. The agency says it co-ordinated its response with provincial parks staff to close hiking trails and stop visitors from entering the Black Creek-area park while officers searched for the exotic and potentially dangerous reptile. The snake was found and captured at approximately 1 p.m., and was taken to the Comox Valley SPCA after consulting with a provincial wildlife veterinarian, the conservation office said. 'Due to its length, the boa constrictor was determined to be a restricted reptile under the Controlled Alien Species regulation, which means that while a permit is not required to own it, they cannot be released under any circumstances,' the statement said. The office says it is investigating the circumstances of the snake's release, which 'may result in enforcement action' against the animal's owner. 'It is not the first time the COS has seized exotic animals,' the agency added. 'Over the last 10-plus years, officers have captured lions, alligators and monkeys.' The conservation office said the incident is not believed to be related to an incident earlier this month, in which a boa constrictor was reported missing at a beach near Tofino. That snake, estimated at six feet in length, later turned up in its owner's kayak. The conservation service says its officers receive special training in the proper handling of a variety of exotic animals that fall under the Controlled Alien Species regulations. Such species are not native to B.C. and are therefore not considered wildlife.
