Somewhere, animal rights activist and Big Cat Rescue owner Carole Baskin is rejoicing.
Doc Antle, the bombastic animal trainer and zoo owner who featured prominently in the hit Netflix docuseries Tiger King, has been convicted in Virginia on four felony counts related to the purchase and sale of endangered animals.
On June 20, Virginia Attorney General Jason Miyares announced in a press release that a jury in Frederick County, VA, convicted Antle of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic. Antle, who owns a private zoo in South Carolina, came under investigation in 2019 after purchasing endangered lion cubs for display at his facility. He is set to be sentenced on September 14, 2023.
Said the Attorney General in a statement, “Virginia’s animal cruelty laws are not taken lightly by my office. I’m proud of my Animal Law Unit for their tireless work and I’m thrilled that the jury not only agreed with us but sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”
Antle, who was featured in Netflix’s Tiger King spin-off The Doc Antle Story, was also arrested last summer in South Carolina on money laundering charges. He was released on $250,000 bond and is currently awaiting trial on those charges.
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