Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle (born Kevin Antle; March 25, 1960), is an American

animal trainer Animal training is the act of teaching animals specific responses to specific conditions or stimuli. Training may be for purposes such as companionship, detection, protection, and entertainment. The type of training an animal receives will vary ...

, roadside zoo operator, and felon convicted of wildlife trafficking. Antle began raising dogs in his youth, and started operating a private zoo in 1983. Antle has worked as an animal trainer for films including '' Ace Ventura'' and '' Dr. Dolittle'' in addition to appearing as a guest on several television shows. In 2020, he was featured in the first season of

Netflix Netflix is an American subscription video on-demand over-the-top streaming service. The service primarily distributes original and acquired films and television shows from various genres, and it is available internationally in multiple lang ...

true crime documentary series ''

Tiger King ''Tiger King'' (subtitled in marketing as ''Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness'' for its first season, ''Tiger King 2'' for its second season and ''Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story'' for its third season) is an American true crime document ...

.'' Antle was the subject of a follow-up documentary ''Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story'' released in December 2021. Antle has faced accusations of

animal cruelty Cruelty to animals, also called animal abuse, animal neglect or animal cruelty, is the infliction of suffering or Injury, harm by humans upon animals, either by omission (neglect) or by commission. More narrowly, it can be the causing of harm ...

throughout his career. In 2020, Antle was charged with felony wildlife trafficking after an investigation by the

Attorney General of Virginia The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an Executive (government), executive office in the government of Virginia. Attorneys general are elected for a four-year term in the year following a United State ...

. After his conviction in 2023, he was fined $10,000 and banned from owning wildlife in Virginia for five years. In 2022, Antle was arrested and charged by the

FBI The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic Intelligence agency, intelligence and Security agency, security service of the United States and Federal law enforcement in the United States, its principal federal law enforcement ag ...

for wildlife trafficking and

money laundering Money laundering is the process of illegally concealing the origin of money obtained from illicit activities (often known as dirty money) such as drug trafficking, sex work, terrorism, corruption, and embezzlement, and converting the funds i ...

. He pleaded guilty to the federal charges in November 2023 and faces up to ten years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Antle has also faced public allegations of inappropriate relationships with minors at the private zoo in Buckingham County, Virginia, as well as operating a cult at the Myrtle Beach Safari location, claims that Antle denies.

Early life and education

Doc Antle was born in

Salinas, California Salinas (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Salt pan (geology), Salt Flats") is a city in the U.S. state of California and the county seat of Monterey County, California, Monterey County. With a population of 163,542 in the 2020 Census, Salinas is ...

in 1960. Antle grew up on an industrial farm in Salinas, part of a wealthy family connected to Tanimura & Antle, an agricultural company. His father endowed him with a hefty

trust fund A trust is a legal relationship in which the owner of property, or any transferable right, gives it to another to manage and use solely for the benefit of a designated person. In the English common law, the party who entrusts the property is k ...

after his death. Antle dropped out of school before the ninth grade. As teenagers, Antle and his girlfriend traveled to Virginia to attend a one month yoga retreat at

Yogaville Yogaville, or Satchidananda Ashram, is the Buckingham County, Virginia headquarters of Satchidananda Saraswati's organization. Ashram The ashram was founded in 1980 by Satchidananda Saraswati, whose western notability stems from his openi ...

, a community founded by

Swami Satchidananda Saraswati Satchidananda Saraswati (; 22 December 1914 – 19 August 2002), born C. K. Ramaswamy Gounder and known as Swami Satchidananda, was an Indian Modern yoga gurus, yoga guru and religious teacher, who gained following in the West. He founded Integr ...

, an Indian spiritualist. Antle performed magic shows and became a close associate of Satchidananda. Through family business connections, Antle traveled to China and received basic medical training to serve rural populations; he claims to have earned the nickname “doc”. Upon his return to the U.S. in the 1980s, he began practicing

alternative medicine Alternative medicine refers to practices that aim to achieve the healing effects of conventional medicine, but that typically lack biological plausibility, testability, repeatability, or supporting evidence of effectiveness. Such practices are ...

in Yogaville.

Career

In the 1980s Antle practiced as a magician and opened a private zoo in

Buckingham County, Virginia Buckingham County is a rural United States county located in the Commonwealth of Virginia, and containing the geographic center of the state. Buckingham County is part of the Piedmont region of Virginia, and the county seat is Buckingham. ...

on a property near the Yogaville ashram that held 100 animals including lions, tigers, bears, monkeys, and an elephant. The private zoo was opened in 1983. Antle is the founder and director of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.) in

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Myrtle Beach is a resort city on the East Coast of the United States in Horry County, South Carolina. It is located in the center of a long and continuous stretch of beach known as the "Grand Strand” in the northeastern part of the state. Its ...

and the Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility. He is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization that purports to fund wildlife conservation. Journalists have raised questions about how revenue generated by Antle's cub petting tours is distributed between his business and his nonprofit organization.

Film and television

Writing in ''

Variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

'', Rebecca Rubin states, "Antle has ties to Hollywood, having worked as an animal expert on films like " Dr. Dolittle" and " Ace Ventura: Pet Detective." He appeared frequently on late night talk shows and also provided creatures for movies including " The War," "

Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book ''The Jungle Book'' is an 1894 collection of stories by the English author Rudyard Kipling. Most of the characters are animals such as Shere Khan the tiger and Baloo the bear, though a principal character is the boy or "man-cub" Mowgli, who ...

," " Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," " Mighty Joe Young" and "

The Jungle Book 2 ''The Jungle Book 2'' is a 2003 animated adventure film produced by the Australian office at DisneyToon Studios and released by Walt Disney Pictures and Buena Vista Distribution. The film was released in France on February 5, 2003, and released ...

." Antle was credited as a "principal animal trainer" in the 1994 and 1995 ''Ace Ventura'' films, a "trainer" in the 1994 and 1997 ''Jungle Book'' films and as an animal trainer in ''Mighty Joe Young''. In 2001, Antle was on stage with

Britney Spears Britney Jean Spears (born December 2, 1981) is an American singer. Often referred to as the "Princess of Pop", she has sold over 150 million records worldwide, making her one of the world's best-selling music artists. Cultural impact of Brit ...

during her performance of "

I'm a Slave 4 U "I'm a Slave 4 U" is a song recorded by American singer Britney Spears for her third studio album, ''Britney (album), Britney'' (2001). Written and produced by Chad Hugo and Pharrell Williams of the Neptunes, it was released on September 25, 2001 ...

" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, which featured a caged

tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is a large Felidae, cat and a member of the genus ''Panthera'' native to Asia. It has a powerful, muscular body with a large head and paws, a long tail and orange fur with black, mostly vertical stripes. It is ...

and a large albino python draped over Spears' shoulders. In 2008, Suryia and Roscoe, an orangutan and an orphaned blue tick hound which had formed an unusual relationship at Antle's zoo, appeared on the ''

Oprah Winfrey Show ''The Oprah Winfrey Show'' is an American first-run syndicated talk show that was hosted by Oprah Winfrey. The show ran for twenty-five seasons from September 8, 1986, to May 25, 2011, in which it broadcast 4,561 episodes. The show was taped i ...

'' in

Chicago Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...

Controversy

Antle was the subject of a three-part true crime documentary spin-off of ''Tiger King'', titled ''Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story'' released by Netflix on December 10, 2021.

Accusations of animal abuse

Antle was fined by the

USDA The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an United States federal executive departments, executive department of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commerc ...

for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in

Buckingham, Virginia Buckingham is a census-designated place (CDP; listed as Buckingham Courthouse) in and the county seat of Buckingham County, Virginia, United States. The population as of the 2010 Census was 133.

Joe Exotic Joseph Allen Maldonado (''né'' Schreibvogel; born March 5, 1963), known professionally as Joe Exotic and nicknamed "The Tiger King", is an American media personality and businessman who operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (also k ...

, who operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, accused Antle of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding. Antle delivered seven tigers to the Samut Prakan zoo in

Thailand Thailand, officially the Kingdom of Thailand and historically known as Siam (the official name until 1939), is a country in Southeast Asia on the Mainland Southeast Asia, Indochinese Peninsula. With a population of almost 66 million, it spa ...

, which is a zoo that has faced allegations of keeping animals in terrible conditions. Antle runs a charity called Rare Species Fund, which is dedicated towards protecting animals living in the wild. However, former employees of Antle have claimed that much of the charity's donations are funneled back to Antle. In late December 2019, South Carolina Law Enforcement Division, South Carolina Department of Natural Resources and Horry County Police Department raided Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari. Antle told media at the time that this was for DNA testing lions for a multi-state investigation. In 2020, Antle was reported as being investigated by the

United States Department of Agriculture The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) is an executive department of the United States federal government that aims to meet the needs of commercial farming and livestock food production, promotes agricultural trade and producti ...

and the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a United States federal executive departments, federal executive department of the U.S. government that oversees the domestic enforcement of Law of the Unite ...

for the illegal sale of big cats including tigers.

Criminal charges

Virginia

Antle was indicted in October 2020 by a grand jury in

Frederick County, Virginia Frederick County is located in the Commonwealth of Virginia. As of the 2020 United States census, the population was 91,419. Its county seat is Winchester. The county was formed in 1743 by the splitting of Orange County. It is Virginia's nor ...

, after a months-long investigation by the Animal Law Unit of the

Virginia Attorney General The attorney general of Virginia is an elected constitutional position that holds an executive office in the government of Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United Sta ...

. The charges included felony wildlife trafficking as well as misdemeanor

and violations of the

Endangered Species Act of 1973 The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...

. Prosecutors said that Antle carried or caused the lions to be carried in a “cruel, brutal, or inhumane manner, so as to produce torture or unnecessary suffering.” A trial date was set for July 2022. On June 21, 2023, Virginia prosecutors announced that a jury had convicted Antle of four total felony counts: two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic. Each count is punishable with up to 20 years in prison. He was found not guilty of nine misdemeanor charges. A sentencing hearing was set for September 14, 2023. At the hearing, the judge did not render a decision regarding Antle's sentence. On October 3, 2023, Antle was fined $10,000 and banned for five years from "possessing, trading or interacting with wild animals" in Virginia. He also received a suspended two-year prison sentence. In February 2025, a Virginia appeals court threw out two of Antle's four felony convictions after agreeing with his lawyers' contention that Virginia statutes prohibited the sale of endangered species but not their purchase. His two convictions for conspiracy were upheld.

Federal

Antle was arrested on June 3, 2022, by the

and booked into jail for charges related to

. He faced charges relating to illegally trafficking animals, including leopards, cheetahs and a chimpanzee, in violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973. On November 6, 2023, he

pleaded guilty In law, a plea is a defendant's response to a criminal charge. A defendant may plead guilty or not guilty. Depending on jurisdiction, additional pleas may be available, including '' nolo contendere'' (no contest), no case to answer (in the ...

to one count of wildlife trafficking under the

Lacey Act The Lacey Act of 1900 is a conservation law in the United States that, as amended, now prohibits trade in wildlife, fish, and plants that have been illegally taken, possessed, transported, or sold.United States. Lacey Act (Game). , ch. 553. App ...

and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, stemming from his illegal interstate sale of seven endangered animals, his falsification of paperwork to disguise the transactions as lawful intrastate transfers, and for disguising payments for the animals as lawful donations to his nonprofit. For each count, Antle faces up to five years in federal prison, a $250,000 fine, and three years of supervised release. Federal authorities also uncovered evidence that Antle and an unidentified co-conspirator used bank accounts they controlled to launder large cash payments they believed to have been obtained through

human smuggling People smuggling (also called human smuggling), under U.S. law, is "the facilitation, transportation, attempted transportation or illegal entry of a person or persons across an international border, in violation of one or more countries' laws, ...

by another individual. Antle's federal sentencing hearing was scheduled for August 27, 2024, but it was postponed indefinitely on August 22 for reasons the U.S. Attorney's Office would not make public. The sentencing was later rescheduled for June 10, 2025, before being postponed to June 23 and finally to July 8.

Accusations of running a cult

Former employees of Antle's zoo, Myrtle Beach Safari, have accused him of using the zoo to create a cult-like following around him. Antle has expressed expectations that his employees must see the zoo as more than a workplace, as it is an all encompassing lifestyle. Antle has required female employees to be single, childless, to abstain from eating meat, and to wear certain clothing and weigh within 20 pounds of their "perfect athletic weight." Writing for ''

PopMatters ''PopMatters'' is an international online magazine of cultural criticism that covers aspects of popular culture. ''PopMatters'' publishes reviews, interviews, and essays on cultural products and expressions in areas such as music, television, ...

'', John Glover described Antle's operation as one where "staff is women who were groomed as teenagers for polygamy", an environment which Antle himself describes as a "complex lifestyle". Barbara Fisher, a former employee of T.I.G.E.R.S. who worked with Antle from 1999 to 2007, stated that she was pressured to get

breast implant A breast implant is a prosthesis used to change the size, shape, and contour of a person's breast. In reconstructive plastic surgery, breast implants can be placed to restore a natural looking breast following a mastectomy, to correct congenita ...

s while working at the facility and that several employees legally changed their names under the direction of Antle. In the Netflix show, ''Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story'', Antle's former partner, Sumati Steinberg, alleges that when she tried to leave, Antle abused her by choking her until she passed out and breaking two of her ribs. Antle's second wife, Radha Hirsch, claims that she met Antle when she was just 11 years-old much to the chagrin of her mother, who attempted to end their relationship three years later when it became sexual. However, soon after, Antle picked Hirsch up from school and she ran off to live with him. Antle has criticized the accusations against him and his facility, specifically calling Fisher's claims "ramblings" and saying she has "issues and somehow those have boiled up".

Personal life

Antle is a vegetarian. He married his first wife, Betsy "Brami" Rodgers around the time they both attended a one month yoga retreat at

while teenagers. Rodgers and Antle have one child, a daughter named Devi. Two of Antle's former partners have stated that he practiced

polygamy Polygamy (from Late Greek , "state of marriage to many spouses") is the practice of marriage, marrying multiple spouses. When a man is married to more than one wife at the same time, it is called polygyny. When a woman is married to more tha ...

and had initiated relationships with them while they were 14-year-old members of the Yogaville community. Antle had a long term relationship with Sumati Steinberg, and they have one child, a daughter named Tilakam. Rodgers, Antle's first wife, has claimed that he established the polygamous relationships without her consent. Antle's second marriage was to Radha Hirsch. Antle and his third wife, Dawn Thurston, had two children, Kody and Tawny, prior to Thurston's death in a car accident at age 29. Several of Antle's children have worked with him at the Myrtle Beach Safari. Antle's daughters Tawny and Tilakam have both been criminally charged for animal cruelty and violations of the

Endangered Species Act The Endangered Species Act of 1973 (ESA; 16 U.S.C. § 1531 et seq.) is the primary law in the United States for protecting and conserving imperiled species. Designed to protect critically imperiled species from extinction as a "consequence of e ...

References

External links

Doc Antle's Myrtle Beach Safari website
*
Rare Species Fund websiteDoc Antle's ''Tiger Tales'' blog
{{DEFAULTSORT:Antle, Doc 1960 births Animal trainers 20th-century American businesspeople 21st-century American businesspeople American businesspeople convicted of crimes American male criminals American people convicted of money laundering American zookeepers Animal breeders Animal cruelty incidents in television Child sexual abuse in the United States Criminals from South Carolina Living people People from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina Sexual harassment in the United States Tiger King Zoo owners