WINCHESTER, Va. (AP) — An animal coach featured within the fashionable Netflix sequence “Tiger King” has obtained a suspended two-year sentence after being convicted of wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the state legal professional basic’s workplace introduced.
Bhagavan “Doc” Antle additionally was banned from proudly owning and dealing in unique wild animals within the state for 5 years, Lawyer Normal Jason Miyares stated Tuesday in a press release.
Antle was accused of illegally shopping for endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, for show and revenue at his South Carolina zoo.
A jury convicted him in June of two felony counts every of wildlife trafficking and conspiring to wildlife site visitors. He had confronted as much as 20 years in jail.
Antle, who owns the Myrtle Seashore Safari, appeared in “Tiger King: Homicide, Mayhem and Insanity,” a Netflix documentary miniseries that targeted on tiger breeders.
Prosecutors stated Myrtle Seashore Safari’s profitable petting zoo motivated Antle to take care of a gentle provide of immature lion cubs and that there have been unlawful cub exchanges in 2017, 2018 and 2019.
Miyares stated the prosecution of the case sends a transparent message.
“In Virginia, we uphold the rule of regulation with out exception, whether or not coping with violent repeat offenders, huge pharma, fraudsters and scammers, or wildlife traffickers,” he stated.
