Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, an eccentric big animal-lover featured in “Tiger King,” has been arrested and jailed in South Carolina.
It is not yet clear why 62-year-old Antle was taken into custody. He was arrested by the FBI on Friday around 3:30 p.m. and booked into the Horry County jail later the same night.
No charges were listed on the county’s online booking records.
The zookeeper’s recent arrest is far from his first tangle with law enforcement. He is currently facing several misdemeanor and felony wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty charges in Virginia. A trial on those charges is slated to start on Oct. 31, according to online court records.
Antle, a high-profile animal trainer, is the owner of South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach Safari. He was thrust into the spotlight in 2019 with Netflix’s release of docuseries, “Tiger King, and fans got to know Antle even better in “Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story,” which was released in December.
Antle also served as an animal expert on films like “Dr. Dolittle” and provided animals for movies including “Mighty Joe Young,” “The Jungle Book” and “The Jungle Book 2.” He is also listed as a “principle animal trainer” on the “Ace Ventura” films.
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