Doc Antle

Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle (born Kevin Antle, March 25, 1960), better known as Doc Antle, is an American animal trainer and private zoo operator. Antle has faced criticism from conservation organizations and animal rights groups for his treatment of animals, and in 2020 was indicted on 15 charges related to wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty.
He 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 and Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility. He is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of a Rare Species Fund, although the extent to which this funds conservation projects has been disputed.
Career.
In 2001, Antle was on stage with Britney Spears during her performance of the "I'm a Slave 4 U" single at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, which featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over Spears' shoulders. Antle has other ties to the film industry, having worked as an animal handler on films such as "Dr. Dolittle" and '. He has appeared on late-night talk shows and also provided animals for movies including "The War", "Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book", ', "Mighty Joe Young", and . 
Antle was also involved in the production of three documentaries: Nat Geo Wild’s "Super Cat", Nature’s "Jaguar: Year of the Cat", and PBS’s "Big Cats".
In 2008, Suryia and Roscoe, an orangutan and an orphaned blue tick hound appeared on the "Oprah Winfrey Show" in Chicago.
Antle was one of the private breeders featured in the 2020 Netflix television documentary "."
Animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking allegations.
Antle was fined by the USDA for abandoning deer and peacocks at his zoo in Buckingham, Virginia in 1989. In total, Antle has more than 35 USDA violations for mistreating animals.
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 said the agencies came to collect DNA samples from three young lions that descended from Wilson's Wild Animal Park in Virginia which was closed down due to animal welfare issues.
During the Netflix documentary "Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness," Joe Exotic accused Antle of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding.
In 2020, TMZ's founder Harvey Levin broke the news that Antle was being investigated by the United States Department of Agriculture and the United States Department of Justice for the illegal sale of big cats including tigers.
On October 9, 2020, after a months-long investigation by Virginia Attorney General Mark Herring’s Animal Law Unit, Antle was indicted on multiple felony and misdemeanor charges. The charges include one felony count of wildlife trafficking, one felony count of conspiracy to wildlife traffic, four misdemeanor counts of conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act, and nine misdemeanor counts of animal cruelty. Antle; his daughters; and Kevin A. Wilson, owner of Wilson’s Wild Animal Park in Frederick County, Virginia; were charged by the grand jury of Frederick County.