Bhagavan Antle

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Bhagavan Antle as league coach (2005)

Mahamayavi Bhagavan "Doc" Antle (born March 25, 1960 in Salinas , California ) is an American animal trainer and zoo owner.

Life

Doc Antle grew up on a farm. His family was very fond of Indian mythology and therefore gave him the name " Mahamayavi Bhagavan", which translates as "friend of God". As a teenager, he dropped out of high school and spent a few years in China, where he allegedly earned a title of Doctor of Mystical Science, hence his nickname "Doc Antle". He returned to the United States in the 1980s and opened a naturopath and guru business in Yogaville , Virginia , a small community of hippies and yoga enthusiasts in Buckingham County .

In 1982 he bought his first baby tiger. A lover of wildlife, he raised some tigers and acquired 0.2 square kilometers in Myrtle Beach , South Carolina in the early 1990s . There he opened The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (TIGERS), which he advertises as a conservation project. Today over 400 big cats live there, including a liger , which is considered to be the largest living big cat in the world. Other animal species also live there, including monkeys and elephants. He also founded the Rare Species Fund, which he claims is a grassroots movement for animal welfare .

He markets his site in Myrtle Beach to the public. A tour, the so-called Myrtle Beach Safari, can be booked there three times a week. Photos cost extra. His zoo was closed during the COVID-19 pandemic in the United States .

Animal trainer

Doc Antle also works as an animal trainer. Animals he trained appeared in Ace Ventura - It's Getting Wild (1995) and The Jungle Book , among others . He was also the animal trainer for Ashanti and Puff Daddy music videos . Doc Antle joined the 2001 MTV Video Music Awards with Britney Spears , which along with several of his animals when I'm a Slave 4 U was on stage.

criticism

As early as the 1980s, Doc Antle was targeted by animal rights activists and the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). In 1991 he had to pay $ 3,500 for violating the Animal Welfare Act . In 2005 he was banned by the USDA from allowing visitors to his zoo near the adult big cats. Against this he appealed, but failed. In 2019 there was a house search for a suspected connection to Wild Wilson's Animal Park in Virginia. However, the search yielded no results.

He is in particular criticized by the animal welfare organization PETA , which see a blatant disregard for animal welfare in his attitude to big cats.

Documentation big cats and their predators

Doc Antle was a big part of the 2020 Netflix television documentary Big Cats and Their Predators , which was essentially about the argument between Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin . Episode 2 also covered his rather unconventional lifestyle, which featured him at the head of an arts harem in Myrtle Beach, where he lived with several women who worked as zookeepers. One participant shared how he influenced women. Antle disagreed with this account, stating that his statements had been taken out of context.

Filmography

As an animal trainer

Than himself

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Inside The Cult-Like Animal Sanctuary Run By Doc Antle From 'Tiger King'. April 10, 2020, accessed April 14, 2020 (American English).
  2. ↑ a b c d e Molli Mitchell: Tiger King: Who is Doc Bhagavan Antle, what happened to him? Where is he now? April 6, 2020, accessed on April 14, 2020 .
  3. ↑ Lia Lewine: Doc Antle's Full Name Apparently Means Either 'Lord' Or 'Friend Of God'. April 3, 2020, Retrieved April 14, 2020 (American English).
  4. ↑ Inside The Cult-Like Animal Sanctuary Run By Doc Antle From 'Tiger King'. In: allthatsinteresting.com. April 10, 2020, accessed April 14, 2020 (American English).
  5. ^ A b Zoe Shenton: Tiger King's Doc Antle responds to "harem of wives" claims. April 1, 2020, accessed April 14, 2020 (UK English).
  6. ↑ Dusty Baxter-Wright: Tiger King: Who are Bhagavan 'Doc' Antle's wives and where are they now? March 25, 2020, accessed April 14, 2020 (UK English).
personal data
SURNAME Antle, Bhagavan
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Antle, Mahamayavi Bhagavan (full name); Antle, Doc (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American animal trainer and zoo owner
DATE OF BIRTH March 25, 1960
PLACE OF BIRTH Salinas , California