The phrase "stranger than fiction" perfectly applies to Netflix's new true-crime documentary, Tiger King, in which an array of colorful characters led by big-cat trainers Joe Exotic and Doc Antle become involved in an outrageous murder-for-hire plot in Oklahoma. The show is currently among the top trending titles on Netflix, and for good reason!
The seven-part docu-series focuses on Joe Exotic, owner of the roadside G.W. Zoo in Oklahoma which houses the largest number of big cats in the U.S. Joe's main competitor, Carole Baskin of Big Cat Rescue, becomes a target when Joe hires someone to kill her. Joe's main mentor, Bhagavan Doc Antle, is a cult-figure in South Carolina. Here are 10 things you didn't know about Doc Antle!
10 Real Name
Based on his cult-of-personality and high image of himself, you'd just assume that Doc gave himself the name of Bhagavan, which translates as Lord in Hindi. Well, we'll have you know that is his real name!
Seriously. Doc Antle was born in Arizona in 1960 and given the birthname Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle. Antle moved to Southern California as a child, where he forged a bond with wild animals on his family's ranch. His name became so hard to pronounce at school that went by the name Kevin instead of Bhagavan.
9 Nickname
Antle was bestowed with the medical nickname "Doc" after studying abroad in China as a young man. Antle dropped out of high-school in Salinas, California prior to the ninth grade. Not long after, he moved to China to find his life's calling.
After years of study, Antle earned a Doctoral Degree in Chinese Medicine. As a result, Antle has continues to boast the "Doc" handle ever since, using it as a badge of medical authority as a sort of modern-day Doctor Doolittle.
8 Hollywood
Speaking of Doctor Dolittle, it's just one of 500 Hollwyood movies Antle has claimed to have participated in over the decades. A quick IMDB search shows different.
According to IMDB, Antle is credited with overseeing the wild animals on nine feature films. In chronological order, they include Sgt. Kabukiman, Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, The War, The Jungle Book, Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, Wild America, Mighty Joe Young, The Jungle Book 2, and The Notorious Betty Paige. While he may have consulted for hundreds of other movies, they are not listed on the world's largest movie database.
7 Music Videos
Once his celebrity grew sizably by the late 90s and early aughts, Antle became in high demand. But can you guess some of the musical artists he's worked with over the years? Perhaps you recognize him from a music video or two?
Well, Antle apparently worked on several music videos for the likes of P. Diddy, Janet Jackson, Ashante, and more. In 2001, Antle was apparently booked Britney Spears to appear with a big cat behind her at the Music Video Awards. Crikey, did she think Antle was Steve "Crocodile Hunter" Irwin?
6 First Tiger
Antle reportedly bought and raised his first tiger cub in 1982. But who the heck knew he got involved in tiger training after being recruited to make an ad-campaign for Exxon?
True talk. In 1982, Exxon approached Antle to produce a presentation at the Annual Exxon Convention. A year later, Antle fashioned a campaign called "Put a Tiger in Your Tank," which sparked a six-year bond with Exxon. From there, Antle's national profile rose and his wild animals began hitting the mainstream.
5 Late Night
Over the course of his career as a leading big cat and rare animal conservationist, Antle has appeared on the late-night talk show circuit no less than a half-dozen times.
In addition to at least one appearance on Late Night with David Letterman, Antle appeared five times on The Tonight Show, hosted by Jay Leno. In Tiger King, Antle makes mention of how Leno helped bring mainstream awareness to the plight of big cats and endangered species alike.
4 Organizations
As one of the nation's so-called leaders in animal conservation, Antle has founded several organizations. Chief among them is The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), a sprawling 5-acre safari and wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina.
Antle is also the founder of the Rare Species Fund (RSF), a local ground-level organization in support of the global wildlife conservation movement. Antle allocates the resources of RSF to aide grassroots and worldwide conservation efforts.
3 Missions
With the aforesaid organizations, Antle has led several missions in the quest for animal conservation. One mission includes The Tiger Lantern Project, where solar-powered lanterns are provided to locals in India to avoid perilous tiger interactions.
Antle has spearheaded The Victoria Falls Anti-Poaching Unit, a measure to protect wildlife from hunters in Zimbabwe. In addition, The Conservation Through Public Health initiative in Uganda uses technology to help endangered chimps.
2 U.S. Postal Service
In 2011, Antle's RSF organization helped forge a partnership with the U.S. Postal Office to produce the Save Vanishing Species Stamp.
The stamp features an image of an Amur tiger cub. All net proceeds of the stamp go to the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, who in turn allocate funding to various animal conservation projects. In addition to tigers and other big cats, the effort helps protect rhinos, great apes, marine turtles, and elephants from Africa and Asia. The stamp is still in circulation to this day.
1 Backlash
For all the fine work he's seemingly done to help protect animals, Antle has run afoul of several animal rights policing agencies. In 1991, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) hit Antle with a $3,500 fine for violating the Animal Welfare Act.
In 2005, Antle was restricted by the USDA of holding public petting events of cubs after poor barriers and boundaries were discovered. In 2019, Antle's Myrtle Beach compound was raided, but no proof of guilt was found. People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), the leading animal-rights group, have repeatedly reprimanded Antle for failing to meet proper safety standards.
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