Following the explosively popular docuseries Tiger King that launched on Netflix back in March, the rumor mill has been in full swing. While most like to speculate on whether or not Carole Baskin killed her husband, the show did spark many conversations about the treatment of captured big cats by the titular subjects. Such was the case with the bizarre Doc Antle’s Myrtle Beach Safari, which is owned and operated by Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle, aka Doc Antle, who has made news recently after being indicted on wildlife trafficking charges.
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While many were quick to comment on the news, including Antle himself, it’s probably of no surprise that Joe Exotic, Tiger King‘s primary subject, wasted no time weighing in. Despite being behind bars at FMC Fort Worth federal prison, Exotic keeps an active social media life, mainly posting about his wrongful conviction. Yet when news broke about Antle’s indictment, Exotic took to Twitter to voice his thoughts.
I am asking you to stand up against this because if they get away with this, peoples‘ farm animals, pets, and the way of life as we know it will be taken away. I continue to pray that my pardon is signed so I can sit down with a committee and show the evidence… https://t.co/MGq82PJ0rU
— Joe Exotic (@joe_exotic) October 9, 2020
Running out of characters, Exotic continued his rant by replying to his own Tweet, going on to explain:
“… of what really is going on behind all of this with hard evidence the DOJ refused to look at. NO ONE in America will ever be allowed to interact with a baby exotic animal ever again in this country if Carole and PeTA get away with this and the best tools for education to protect them in the wild and their habitats will be gone forever. And as the two most popular people in the animal industry ask the people of America to stand up and make your voice heard about this injustice before November 2020. @DonaldTrump @DonaldTrumpJr @realjimrathmann @FLOTUS @PressSecretary @IvankaTrump @EricTrump @VP @KarenPence @TedCruz @MarcoRubio @SeanHannity @DougDeason#PardonJoeExotic #JoeExotic #DoWhatsRight #FreeTheTigerKing”
Shocker: Joe Exotic used the news as a springboard for again making his case for being granted a pardon. Moreover, according to PETA US’ director of Captive Animal Law Enforcement, Brittany Peet, Exotic had accused Antle of some pretty heinous crimes in the past. “He said that Doc Antle puts the babies in a gas chamber and cremates their bodies in an onsite crematorium,” Peet recalled. “He explained to me in detail how they hide those cats from the [United States Department of Agriculture] so that they don’t get caught.”
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Those accusations are horrifying to say the least, as well as the indictment that Doc Antle is currently facing, which includes two felony counts related to wildlife trafficking and 13 additional misdemeanors related to animal cruelty and conspiracy to violate the Endangered Species Act. We can only hope that at the end of the day, true justice is served for those without a voice – the big cats.