Doc Antle

{{Short description|American wildlife trainer and convicted criminal}}

{{Infobox person

| name = Bhagavan Antle

| image = File:Doc Antle.jpg

| alt =

| caption = Antle at Myrtle Beach Safari in 2020

| birth_name = Kevin Antle

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1960|03|25}}

| birth_place = Salinas, California, U.S.

| other_names = Doc Antle

| occupation = Animal trainer, zoo operator

| known_for = Operator of the Myrtle Beach Safari

| spouse = {{plainlist|

{{marriage|Betsy "Brami" Rodgers|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Radha Hirsch|end=divorced}}
{{marriage|Dawn Thurston|end=died}}

}}

| children = 4

| website =

|module = {{Infobox

|child = yes

|header1 = Criminal details

|label2 = Conviction(s)

|data2 = {{plainlist|

Wildlife trafficking (two counts)
Conspiring to wildlife traffic (two counts)}}

|label3 = Penalty

|data3 = {{plainlist|

Two years imprisonment (suspended sentence)
$10,000 fine

}}}}

}}

Bhagavan Mahamayavi "Doc" Antle{{Citation|last=Henry|first=Grace|title=Who is Doc Antle and what is his real name?|date=December 10, 2021|publisher=Radio Times|access-date=2021-12-12|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/who-is-doc-antle/}} (born Kevin Antle; March 25, 1960), is an American animal trainer, roadside zoo operator, and felon convicted of wildlife trafficking.{{Cite magazine|last=Port|first=Ian S.|date=2015-09-21|title=The Man Who Made Animal Friends|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/tiger-king-doc-antle-zoo-myrtle-beach-70838/|access-date=2020-03-29|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}{{Cite web|last=Daly|first=Natasha|date=2020-10-09|title='Tiger King' Star Doc Antle Charged with Wildlife Trafficking | url=https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/10/doc-antle-tiger-king-star-charged-with-wildlife-trafficking/|url-status=dead|access-date=2020-12-12|website=National Geographic|language=en|url-access=registration|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201012180245/https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2020/10/doc-antle-tiger-king-star-charged-with-wildlife-trafficking/ |archive-date=October 12, 2020 }}

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.{{Cite web|last=Jones|first=Isabel|date=April 2, 2020|title=Tiger King's Doc Antle Was in These Movies, Shows & Music Videos|url=https://www.instyle.com/news/doc-antle-tv-movie-cultural-moments|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-16|website=InStyle|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404124818/https://www.instyle.com/news/doc-antle-tv-movie-cultural-moments |archive-date=April 4, 2020 }} In 2020, he was featured in the first season of Netflix true crime documentary series Tiger King. 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 throughout his career. In 2020, Antle was charged with felony wildlife trafficking after an investigation by the Attorney General of Virginia.{{Cite news|last=Morales|first=Christina|date=2021-05-21|title=69 Big Cats Are Seized From Jeffrey Lowe, a Figure in 'Tiger King'|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/20/us/tiger-king-jeffrey-lowe.html|access-date=2022-01-17|issn=0362-4331}} 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 for wildlife trafficking and money laundering.{{Cite web |last=Caines |first=Richard |date=June 3, 2022 |title='Tiger King' star Doc Antle arrested by FBI on money laundering allegations |url=https://www.postandcourier.com/myrtle-beach/news/tiger-king-star-doc-antle-arrested-by-fbi-on-money-laundering-allegations/article_c2fdb3dc-e39b-11ec-b3c6-8b7b0db1b0d0.html |access-date=2022-06-04 |website=Post and Courier |language=en}} 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 in 1960.{{cite news |last=LeWine |first=Lia |title='Tiger King's Doc Antle: What Happened To The Netflix Star And Where Is He Now? |url=https://www.womenshealthmag.com/life/a31819228/doc-antle-jail-tiger-king-netflix/ |magazine=Women's Health |publisher=Hearst |date=April 3, 2020 |access-date=April 6, 2020}} 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 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, a community founded by Swami Satchidananda Saraswati, 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 in Yogaville.

Career

File:Ligertrainer.jpg]]

In the 1980s Antle practiced as a magician and opened a private zoo in Buckingham County, Virginia on a {{convert|14|acre|ha|adj=on}} 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 and the Myrtle Beach Safari, a tour that runs through the facility.{{Cite web|last=Baxter-Wright|first=Dusty|date=2020-03-25|title=Tiger King: Who are Bhagavan 'Doc'; Antle's wives and where are they now?|url=https://www.cosmopolitan.com/uk/entertainment/a31925045/tiger-king-bhagavan-doc-antle-wives/|access-date=2020-03-30|website=Cosmopolitan|language=en-US}} He is a self-described conservationist and is the executive director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization{{Cite journal|last=Guynup|first=Sharon|date=December 2019|title=The Tigers Next Door|url=http://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A608114697/AONE?u=spl_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=f9194045|journal=National Geographic|volume=236|pages=84+|via=Gale Academic OneFile}} that purports to fund wildlife conservation.{{Cite web|date=2014-09-24|title=EXPOSED! T.I.G.E.R.S: A Tourist Attraction Exploiting Animals in the Name of Wildlife Conservation|url=https://www.onegreenplanet.org/animalsandnature/exposed-t-i-g-e-r-s-a-tourist-attraction-above-wildlife-conservation/|access-date=2020-12-12|website=One Green Planet|language=en}} Journalists have raised questions about how revenue generated by Antle's cub petting tours is distributed between his business and his nonprofit organization.{{Cite web|last=Norton|first=Kara Jamie|date=April 6, 2020|title=The Truth About "Tiger King" And Cats in Captivity|url=https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/the-truth-about-tiger-king-and-cats-in-captivity/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-17|website=Nature|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200409181721/https://www.pbs.org/wnet/nature/blog/the-truth-about-tiger-king-and-cats-in-captivity/ |archive-date=April 9, 2020 }}

=Film and television=

Writing in Variety, 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," "Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls," "Mighty Joe Young" and "The Jungle Book 2." 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 during her performance of "I'm a Slave 4 U" at the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards, which featured a caged tiger and a large albino python draped over Spears' shoulders.{{cite web|last=Rubin|first=Rebecca|date=March 30, 2020|title='Tiger King's' Doc Antle and Britney Spears Shared Stage for 'I'm a Slave 4 U' VMAs Performance|url=https://variety.com/2020/tv/news/tiger-king-britney-spears-vma-performance-1203548816/|access-date=March 31, 2020|work=Variety}} 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 in Chicago.{{Cite web|last=Bebb|first=Gareth|date=2009-05-15|title=Pals love to monkey around|url=https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/101083/Pals-love-to-monkey-around|access-date=2022-01-17|website=Express.co.uk|language=en}}{{Cite web|last=Campbell Thornton|first=Kim|date=November 4, 2009|title=Unlikely friends: Why we love odd animal pairs|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33485224|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-17|website=NBC News|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210118183224/https://www.nbcnews.com/id/wbna33485224 |archive-date=January 18, 2021 }}

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.{{cite web|title='Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story' Coming to Netflix Next Week: Watch the Trailer|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/news/tiger-king-doc-antle-netflix-1235125259/|work=Variety|first=Ellise|last=Shafer|date=December 3, 2021}}{{Cite web|last=Heritage|first=Stuart|date=December 13, 2021|title=Why it's time to say goodbye to Tiger King|url=https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/13/tiger-king-netflix-time-to-say-goodbye-doc-antle|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-15|website=The Guardian|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213154927/https://amp.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2021/dec/13/tiger-king-netflix-time-to-say-goodbye-doc-antle |archive-date=December 13, 2021 }}{{Cite web|last=Mauch|first=Ally|date=December 3, 2021|title=The Doc Antle Story: New Netflix Docuseries Dives Into the Tiger King Star's Dark Past|url=https://people.com/tv/the-doc-antle-story-new-netflix-docuseries-dives-into-tiger-king-star-past/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-15|website=People|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211203214631/https://people.com/tv/the-doc-antle-story-new-netflix-docuseries-dives-into-tiger-king-star-past/ |archive-date=December 3, 2021 }}

=Accusations of animal abuse=

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.{{Cite web|last=Hitchcock|first=Ben|date=March 14, 2020|title=A 'Tiger King' is Born: Netflix Star Antle Started at a Rural Virginia Yoga Commune|url=https://www.c-ville.com/a-tiger-king-is-born-netflix-star-antle-started-at-a-rural-virginia-yoga-commune/|url-status=live|website=Charlottesville Weekly|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200422145242/https://www.c-ville.com/a-tiger-king-is-born-netflix-star-antle-started-at-a-rural-virginia-yoga-commune/ |archive-date=April 22, 2020 }} Joe Exotic, who operated the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, accused Antle of killing tigers in gas chambers to make space for further breeding.{{Cite web|last=Wigler|first=Josh|date=April 3, 2020|title='Tiger King': PETA Lawyer Reveals What "Viewers Didn't Get to See" in Netflix Doc|url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tiger-king-peta-lawyer-brittany-peet-joe-exotic-netflix-series-1288397|url-status=live|website=The Hollywood Reporter|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200404002141/https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/live-feed/tiger-king-peta-lawyer-brittany-peet-joe-exotic-netflix-series-1288397 |archive-date=April 4, 2020 }} Antle delivered seven tigers to the Samut Prakan zoo in Thailand, which is a zoo that has faced allegations of keeping animals in terrible conditions.{{Cite web|date=January 27, 2021|title='Doc' Antle Calls Nat Geo Reporter 'Al-Qaeda to the Max'|url=https://www.peta.org/blog/tiger-king-doc-antle-nat-geo-interview/|publisher=PETA}}

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.{{cite web|last=Roth|first=Steve|date=December 10, 2021|title='Doc' Antle denies Tiger King claims of sexual relationships with underage girls|url=https://fox2now.com/news/national/doc-antle-denies-tiger-king-claims-of-sexual-relationships-with-underage-girls/|access-date=December 12, 2021|work=Fox 2}}

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.{{Cite web|url=https://wpde.com/news/local/myrtle-beach-safari-owner-said-lions-are-apart-of-multi-state-investigation|title=Myrtle Beach Safari owner said 'Lions are a part of a multi-state investigation'|first=Annette|last=Montgomery|date=December 11, 2019|website=WPDE}}

In 2020, Antle was reported as 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.{{Cite web|last=London|first=Matt|date=April 29, 2020|title='Tiger King': Report of new investigation into violations of Endangered Species Act|url=https://www.foxnews.com/media/tiger-king-jeff-lowe-doc-antle-fox-nation|url-status=live|website=Fox News|publisher=|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200429103807/https://www.foxnews.com/media/tiger-king-jeff-lowe-doc-antle-fox-nation |archive-date=April 29, 2020 }}

=Criminal charges=

==Virginia==

Antle was indicted in October 2020 by a grand jury in Frederick County, Virginia, after a months-long investigation by the Animal Law Unit of the Virginia Attorney General. The charges included felony wildlife trafficking as well as misdemeanor animal cruelty and violations of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.{{cite news |author=Denise Lavoie|title=Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle, who was featured on 'Tiger King', charged with animal cruelty |url=https://www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/tv/ct-ent-bhagavan-doc-antle-tiger-king-animal-cruelty-20201009-v4yda2gcozec7e3w7fxn35v3xi-story.html |work=The Chicago Tribune |agency=Associated Press |date=October 9, 2020 |access-date=October 9, 2020}} 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.{{Cite news|last=Morales|first=Christina|date=October 9, 2020|title=Doc Antle of 'Tiger King' Is Charged With Wildlife Trafficking|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2020/10/09/us/tiger-king-doc-antle-charged.html|access-date=September 29, 2021|issn=0362-4331}}{{cite web|last=Wetzel|first=David|date=September 27, 2021|title='It's all a joke': Myrtle Beach Safari owner gives take on upcoming 'Tiger King' season|url=https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/entertainment/article254499312.html|access-date=December 4, 2021|work=The Sun News}}

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.{{cite web|last=Mayorquin|first=Orland|date=June 21, 2023|title=Doc Antle of 'Tiger King' Is Convicted on Wildlife Trafficking Charges|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/21/us/tiger-king-doc-antle-convicted.html|access-date=June 23, 2023|work=The New York Times}} At the hearing, the judge did not render a decision regarding Antle's sentence.{{cite news |last=McCusker |first=Caleb |title=Sentencing hearing held in Virginia for 'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle |url=https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/myrtle-beach/sentencing-hearing-held-in-virginia-for-tiger-king-star-doc-antle/ |work=WBTW |location=Florence, South Carolina |date=September 17, 2023 |orig-date=September 14, 2023 |access-date=September 19, 2023}} On October 3, 2023, Antle was fined $10,000 and banned for five years from "possessing, trading or interacting with wild animals" in Virginia.{{cite news |last=Benson |first=Adam |title=SC Tiger King hit with $10K fine, wildlife ownership ban following Virginia conviction |url=https://www.myrtlebeachonline.com/news/local/article280076394.html |work=The Sun News |date=October 3, 2023 }} He also received a suspended two-year prison sentence.{{cite news |last=Lagatta |first=Eric |title='Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle banned from dealing in exotic animals for 5 years in Virginia |url=https://www.usatoday.com/story/entertainment/celebrities/2023/10/04/doc-antle-sentence-south-carolina-zoo-impact/71056909007/|work=USA Today |date=October 4, 2023 }}

==Federal==

Antle was arrested on June 3, 2022, by the FBI and booked into jail for charges related to money laundering.{{Cite news |date=June 4, 2022 |title='Tiger King' star Doc Antle to face money laundering charges |work=AP News |url=https://apnews.com/article/doc-antle-arrested-money-laundering-charges-tiger-king-8f3f23df769d532e1584bf14f645bde1 |access-date=June 5, 2022}} He faced charges relating to illegally trafficking animals, including leopards, cheetahs and a chimpanzee, in violation of the Endangered Species Act of 1973.{{Cite news |date=June 30, 2022 |title=Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, and Others Indicted for Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Crimes|work=FBI|url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/doc-antle-owner-myrtle-beach-safari-and-others-indicted-federal-wildlife-trafficking-and |access-date=October 5, 2022}} On November 6, 2023, he pleaded guilty to one count of wildlife trafficking under the Lacey Act 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.{{cite news |last=Pollard |first=James |date=November 8, 2023 |title='Doc' Antle of 'Tiger King' pleads guilty to wildlife trafficking and money laundering |url=https://www.wbal.com/doc-antle-of-tiger-king-pleads-guilty-to-wildlife-trafficking-and-money-laundering/ |agency=Associated Press |work=WBAL |location=Baltimore, Maryland |access-date=November 9, 2023}}{{cite press release |author= |title=Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, Pleads Guilty to Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Charges |url=https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/doc-antle-owner-myrtle-beach-safari-pleads-guilty-federal-wildlife-trafficking-and-money |location=Washington, D.C. |publisher=Office of Public Affairs |agency=U.S. Department of Justice |date=November 6, 2023 |access-date=November 9, 2023}}{{cite news |last=Sayers |first=Devon M. |date=November 7, 2023 |title='Tiger King' star pleads guilty to trafficking endangered species |url=https://www.cnn.com/2023/11/07/us/tiger-king-star-wildlife-trafficking-guilty-plea/index.html |work=CNN |access-date=November 9, 2023}} 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 by another individual.

Antle's federal sentencing hearing was scheduled for August 27, 2024, but it was postponed indefinitely on August 22. The U.S. Attorney's Office would not tell WMBF-TV or WBTW why the hearing was postponed nor when it might be rescheduled.{{cite news |last=Nelson |first=Kristin |title=Sentencing hearing canceled for Myrtle Beach Safari owner featured in 'Tiger King' |url=https://www.wmbfnews.com/2024/08/22/sentencing-hearing-canceled-myrtle-beach-safari-owner-featured-tiger-king/ |date=August 22, 2024 |access-date=August 30, 2024 |work=WMBF-TV |location=Myrtle Beach, South Carolina }}{{cite news |url=https://www.wbtw.com/news/grand-strand/myrtle-beach/sentencing-hearing-canceled-for-former-tiger-king-star-bhagavan-doc-antle/ |title=Sentencing hearing canceled for former 'Tiger King' star 'Doc' Antle |last=McCusker |first=Caleb |work=WBTW |location=Florence, South Carolina |date=August 22, 2024 |access-date=August 30, 2024}}

=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.{{cite news|last=Smail|first=Gretchen|date=December 10, 2021|title=What To Know About The Weird Yoga Center From Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story|magazine=Bustle|url=https://www.bustle.com/entertainment/what-is-yogaville-swami-satchidananda-teachings-explained|access-date=December 12, 2021}}{{cite web|last=Moreau|first=Jordan|date=December 10, 2021|title='Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story' Can't Recapture the Roar of the Original: TV Review|url=https://variety.com/2021/tv/reviews/tiger-king-the-doc-antle-story-review-1235130291/|access-date=December 12, 2021|work=Variety}} 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."{{cite magazine|last=Port|first=Ian|date=September 21, 2015|title=The Man Who Made Animal Friends|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/tiger-king-doc-antle-zoo-myrtle-beach-70838/|access-date=December 12, 2021|magazine=Rolling Stone}} Writing for PopMatters, John Glover described Antle's operation as one where "staff is {{sic|comprised |hide=y|of}} women who were groomed as teenagers for polygamy", an environment which Antle himself describes as a "complex lifestyle".{{Cite web|last=Glover|first=Johnathan|date=2020-07-13|title='Tiger King' and the Post-Truth Culture War|url=https://www.popmatters.com/tiger-king-post-truth-culture-war-2646395207.html|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-18|website=PopMatters|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200731201742/https://www.popmatters.com/tiger-king-post-truth-culture-war-2646395207.html |archive-date=July 31, 2020 }}

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 implants while working at the facility{{Cite web|last=LeBlanc|first=Sarah Kay|date=April 3, 2000|title=Ames' Barbara Fisher speaks about her experience on Netflix's 'Tiger King' documentary|url=https://www.desmoinesregister.com/story/entertainment/2020/04/02/tiger-king-iowa-ames-barbara-fisher-experience-netflix-documentary-doc-antle-joe-exotic/5104815002/|access-date=2022-01-18|website=Des Moines Register|language=en-US}} and that several employees legally changed their names under the direction of Antle.{{Cite web|last1=Fisher|first1=Barbara|last2=Minutaglio|first2=Rose|date=2020-04-08|title=I Trained Tigers For Doc Antle. Here's the Truth.|url=https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a32023648/tiger-king-barbara-fisher-doc-antle-interview/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-18|website=ELLE|language=en-US|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200411122739/https://www.elle.com/culture/movies-tv/a32023648/tiger-king-barbara-fisher-doc-antle-interview/ |archive-date=April 11, 2020 }} 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.{{cite web|last=Yeates|first=Cyndey|date=December 10, 2021|title=Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story exposes shocking child sexual abuse and abduction claims|url=https://metro.co.uk/2021/12/10/tiger-king-doc-antle-story-exposes-sexual-abuse-and-abduction-claims-15747674/|access-date=December 12, 2021|work=Metro (British newspaper)}} 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".{{Cite web|title=Barbara Fisher Has Something to Say About Doc Antle's Response to 'The Tiger King' [EXCLUSIVE]|url=https://www.distractify.com/p/barbara-fisher-tiger-king|access-date=2021-06-19|website=Distractify|date=March 31, 2020 |language=en-US}}{{Cite web|title=Tiger King's Lies: True Story vs. Netflix Joe Exotic Documentary|url=https://www.historyvshollywood.com/reelfaces/tiger-king/|access-date=2021-06-26|website=HistoryvsHollywood.com}}{{Cite web|last=Burke|first=Minyvonne|date=April 1, 2020|title=Doc Antle slams Netflix's 'Tiger King' as a 'train wreck of entertainment'|url=https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/doc-antle-slams-netflix-s-tiger-king-train-wreck-entertainment-n1174051|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210308193359/https://www.nbcnews.com/pop-culture/pop-culture-news/doc-antle-slams-netflix-s-tiger-king-train-wreck-entertainment-n1174051|archive-date=March 8, 2021|access-date=2021-03-20|website=NBC News|language=en}}

Personal life

Antle is a vegetarian.{{Cite journal|last=Leszkiewicz|first=Anna|date=April 3, 2020|title=Tiger King|url=http://link.gale.com/apps/doc/A623445962/AONE?u=spl_main&sid=bookmark-AONE&xid=fcac3759|journal=New Statesman|volume=149|issue=5514–5516|pages=71|via=Gale Academic OneFile}} He married his first wife, Betsy "Brami" Rodgers around the time they both attended a one month yoga retreat at Yogaville while teenagers.{{Cite web|last=Henry|first=Grace|title=Who were Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle's wives? Meet the women featured in the Netflix series|url=https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/bhagavan-doc-antle-wives/|url-status=live|access-date=2022-01-09|website=Radio Times|language=en|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211210151951/https://www.radiotimes.com/tv/documentaries/bhagavan-doc-antle-wives/ |archive-date=December 10, 2021 }} Rodgers and Antle have one child, a daughter named Devi.{{Cite web|title=Sri Devi Antle - Bio & Resume|url=https://srideviantle.com/bio-resume|access-date=2021-11-23|website=srideviantle.com|language=en-US}} Two of Antle's former partners have stated that he practiced polygamy 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.{{Cite magazine|last=Port|first=Ian S.|date=2015-09-21|title=The Man Who Made Animal Friends|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/tiger-king-doc-antle-zoo-myrtle-beach-70838/|access-date=2021-06-26|magazine=Rolling Stone|language=en-US}}{{Cite web |date=2008-05-17 |title=The Director of T.I.G.E.R.S.: Bhagavan Antle |url=http://www.tigerfriends.com/docbio.html |access-date=2021-11-23 |website= |publisher=TIGERS: The Institute of the Greatly Endangered and Rare Species |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080517131517/http://www.tigerfriends.com/docbio.html |archive-date=17 May 2008 |url-status=dead}} Antle's daughters Tawny and Tilakam have both been criminally charged for animal cruelty and violations of the Endangered Species Act.