A court has found the American animal trainer and private zoo operator guilty of trafficking cheetah cubs, lion cubs, tigers, and a chimpanzee - Antle could now face up to five years in prison.
The 63-year-old pleaded guilty to animal trafficking and money laundering on Monday.
It was ruled that Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle, oversaw the sale or purchase of cheetah, lion, and tiger cubs as well as a baby chimpanzee - all of which are protected and endangered species.
He now faces a maximum of five years imprisonment, fines of up to $250,000 (R4,552,977.50 ), and three years of supervised release for each count.
The court found that Antle hid payments for the exotic animals as 'donations' to his nonprofit organization, The Rare Species Fund.
Antle came to fame on the hit Netflix show Tiger King which followed the life of Joe Exotic, an animal park owner who is now serving a 21-year prison sentence for trying to hire two different men to kill animal welfare activist, Carol Baskin.
The jaw-dropping series was as disturbing as it was entertaining. In 2021 it spawned the Netflix series Tiger King: The “doc” Antle Story.
