Georgetown, SC 29440, News tips/online questions: ashain@postandcourier.com, Delivery/subscription questions: subserve@postandcourier.com, var html = new Date().getFullYear(); The Socastee resident expects to be included in the show. What I didnt anticipate was getting up close and personal with wild animals. Antles Myrtle Beach Safari was searched by the State Law Enforcement Division in December 2019. Its not my M.O., The series also tells tales of Antles hypnotizing ways, drug smuggling and dealing, improper interactions with teenage girls, animal cruelty, running from the police and being a fake doctor in the 1980s, when he was part of what they describe as a cult called Yogaville.. FLORENCE, S.C. (WMBF) One of the stars of Netflixs Tiger King pleaded not guilty to several federal charges. The animals are taught from birth to not only accept humans into their lives, but also the other animals on the property. Attorneys Derek A. Shoemake and Amy Bower are prosecuting the case. Assistant U.S. The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve in Myrtle Beach. The biggest and most serious allegation that many in the show speculated about was that he pushed his friend and No. Smothers filed a lawsuit against Antle earlier this year, alleging that the animal bite traumatized her and caused her to experience anxiety and paranoia. I certainly do not rock climb. Doc Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari and The Institute of Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S. Antle was made famous in the hit Netflix series Tiger King. I had no idea Myrtle Beach had such an experience, and it appears many are unaware. Sawyer and Bybee are Antles employees and business associates. Secure .gov websites use HTTPS Box 31210 Myrtle Beach, SC 29588. They (Netflix) just wanted that cult vibe.". Antles biggest moment in Tiger King is during the second of seven episodes, where Joe Exotic says Antle was his mentor. MYRTLE BEACH Bhagavan Doc Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari and founder of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S. We were slightly nervous of claws and teeth, but it was so thrilling to play with these little guys. An animal I wasnt expecting was a warthog! The indictment and a previously-filed federal complaint in the case also allege that over the last several months, Antle and Sawyer laundered more than $500,000 in cash they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States. Photo credit: J. Reuben Long Detention Center. Sammut is the owner and An official website of the United States government. The animals involved included lemurs, cheetahs, and a chimpanzee. Specifically, according to the complaint, Antle and Sawyer would launder the cash by providing checks from a business controlled by Antle and a business controlled by Sawyer. I categorically deny any act or conduct that could ever be considered as animal cruelty, Antle said in a statement, per The New York Times. ), a world-renowned 50-acre wildlife preserve located in South Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, USA. Please reconsider what you have written about MBS in the light of what you know now. Charleston:(843) 727-4381 They now have Hercules, the 900 pound liger! Ride-along: What does it take to run a Charleston food truck? There are others in the show who said Topping was owed tens of thousands of dollars and wanted out of the animal business, implying that perhaps that would be Antles motivation to kill him. Outdoor Fun and Drive-In Movies at Quarry Park Lake Tahoe Vacation Rentals for Multigenerational My Mother-in-law and her Siblings Take On Hofsas House Why You Need to See Hamilton in San Francisco. Attorneys Derek A. Shoemake and Amy Bower for the District of South Carolina and Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Justice Departments Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Crimes Section. Wells Fargo Building Sammut is the owner and operator of Vision Quest Ranch, a for-profit corporation that housed captive exotic species and sold tours and safari experiences to guests. There are plenty of immoral allegations against Bhagavan Doc Antle in Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story.. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the U.S. Antle has asked for the lawsuit to be dismissed. That case is scheduled for a trial later this year. Please do not promote Myrtle Beach Safari, an abusive petting zoo and constant violator of animal welfare regulations whose owner has just been indicted on 15 charges including cruelty to animals and wildlife trafficking. He wasnt my friend. Bhagavan Mahamayavi Antle, a/k/a Kevin Antle, a/k/a Doc Antle, 62, of Myrtle Beach; Andrew Jon Sawyer a/k/a Omar Sawyer, 52, of Myrtle Beach; Meredith Bybee, a/k/a Moksha Bybee, 51, of Myrtle Beach; Charles Sammut, 61, of Salinas, California; and. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) - The owner of the Myrtle Beach Safari is now behind bars, according to online records. On Dec. 8, he simply posted a video of him smiling with Bubbles the elephant, encouraging people to visit Myrtle Beach Safari to meet this wonderful girl thats been hanging out with me for the past 38 years.. A spokesperson for the FBI said that it cannot provide information on if the businesses are part of an investigation. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. They were so soft and cuddly and I absolutely loved them! Federal documents also claim that Antle and his business associate, Andrew Sawyer, laundered over $500,000 in cash they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States. 2023 BDG Media, Inc. All rights reserved. CLUE. Reach Nick Masuda at 843-607-0912. Hes just a whole other kind of character. } } Read moreIrene Clodfelter pleads guilty to obstructing justice in husband's Myrtle Beach-area death, A Horry County parent has sued the school district in the wake of two school employees being arrested for allegedly committing and failing to report unlawful conduct against students. Myrtle Beach Safari owner Mahamayavi Bhagavan "Doc" Antle. Newsweek Culture. They all live on the property with him, but Antle asserted that hes not married to any of them. ) or https:// means youve safely connected to the .gov website. Low near 55F. Antle and Sawyer each face a maximum of 20 years in federal prison for the charges related to money laundering, and up to five years in federal prison for the charges related to wildlife trafficking. The saga of Tiger King continues, but this time the spotlight is on Bhagavan Doc Antle. ), has been indicted on animal cruelty and wildlife trafficking in Virginia, the states attorney general announced on Friday. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. You pay a fee and you hug a tiger and feed the monkeys. Bhagavan Doc Antle, owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, will be in court Monday afternoon. In addition to experiencing the animals, visitors get educated on the different species, as well as conservation. His credits include films like Ace Ventura, Dr. Doolittle, Mighty Joe Young, Disneys Jungle Book and many, many more. Bybee, Sammut and Clay each face up to five years in federal prison for the charges related to the wildlife trafficking. Per Myrtle Beach Online, most of RSFs money has been spent on animal ambassadors based within Myrtle Beach Safari as in, it appears Antle is using money brought in through his nonprofit to fund his own zoo. There are others in the Antles tiger mill has been the source of immense cruelty to hundreds of tigers and must be shut down, Kitty Block, the organizations president and CEO, said in a statement, per The New York Times. During the hearing, it was revealed Antle is being charged with three additional counts of wildlife trafficking as well as one count of a label violation. We also had the opportunity to hold and feed a couple of the tiger cubs and can I just say ADORABLE!! A safari can run $339 per person for a three-hour tour of Antles collection of big cats and other animals, while also giving patrons a chance to pet tiger cubs for an additional $100. I never felt I needed to challenge a mountain. The kid that narrates, he does a good job because hes a professional stage magician, but hes just a kid I hired when he was a teenager to do a couple blip jobs, Antle said of Diamond, whos featured prominently in the series. Official websites use .gov Antle is currently out of jail on a $250,000 bond. These guys look a lot like dogs, but bigger and more fierce. Environment and Natural Resources Division. Made with @triller #triller pic.twitter.com/kYmWO1462M, Made with @triller #triller pic.twitter.com/kFqH6lCd3b. The preserve has raised and trained more than four hundred big cats since its inception and is considered one of the premier private wildlife facilities in the world. For me, theres just moments in my life, but I didnt know him. Winds SW at 5 to 10 mph.. Cloudy skies. Improper interactions with teenage girls. All Rights Reserved. Derek Shoemake, Public Information Officer, U.S. Attorneys Office, derek.shoemake@usdoj.gov, (843) 327-0882, Main Office: He ultimately faces charges only on those that deal with animals. "It certainly is entertaining," he said at the time. In this regard, is Myrtle Beach Safari humane? The series ends with a very brief mention of serious charges Antle is facing in Virginia. The trainers clearly love the animals they work with, and we even learned some of the animal cubs actually sleep with their trainers. In October 2020, he was indicted in Virginia on 15 charges of wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty following a months-long investigation into his dealings with private zoo owner Keith Wilson, who Antle sold lions to across state lines. In addition to founding T.I.G.E.R.S., a 50-acre wildlife preserve in Myrtle Beach, the Myrtle Beach Safari has been in business for nearly 30 years. Myrtle Beach Safari owner featured in Tiger King pleads not guilty in federal wildlife trafficking case, VIDEO: Man hospitalized after Beaufort Co. shooting, publicfile@live5news.com - (843) 402-5555. The safari works in tandem with Antles Rare Species Fund (RSF), a grassroots organization that claims to work with state and federal authorities to develop conservation initiatives. The small city hosting Alex Murdaugh's trial is about to become a media circus. Smothers had to receive eight rabies shots due to the bite. var field59 = field59 || {}; Myrtle Beach Safari offers the chance to meet and greet about eleven different animals in an exciting way. But many have asserted that Myrtle Beach Safari and RSF dont live up to their stated goals. The indictment and a previously-filed federal complaint in the case also allege that over the last several months, Antle and Sawyer laundered more than $500,000 in cash they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border into the United States. Several of Antles previous partners are featured in The Doc Antle Story, including Betsy Brahmi Rogers, his first wife, and Sumati Steinberg and Radha Hirsch, who both allege Antle began sexual relationships with them when they were as young as 14. MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) The owner of Myrtle Beach Safari has been charged with federal money laundering crimes. They always show these pictures of these characters hugging tigers and feeding a monkey. Its mentioned in the show that Antle did not attend Toppings funeral. According to a press release, Antle, 62, and his employee Andrew Omar Jon Sawyer, 52, laundered $505,000 cash that they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the border. Hes also accused of illegally trafficking animals including lemurs, cheetahs and a chimpanzee. Keith has a fascination with birds so this was pretty cool for him. He said in the past he used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks. ), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. Hubert Clodfelter's remains were found by his daughters in June 2019 in a garbage bag at the Myrtle Beach Travel Park where he and his wife had a beach house. Another captive tiger just tested positive for the novel coronavirus, but the recently indicted Doc Antle hasnt let federal recommendations against cub-petting stop his search for a little limelight, PETA said in a statement, per WBTW News 13. 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