myrtle beach safari attack

An official website of the United States government

Here's how you know

Official websites use .gov A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS A lock ( Lock A locked padlock ) or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

• The Attorney General
• Organizational Chart
• Budget & Performance
• Privacy Program
• Press Releases
• Photo Galleries
• Guidance Documents
• Publications
• Information for Victims in Large Cases
• Justice Manual
• Business and Contracts
• Why Justice ?
• DOJ Vacancies
• Legal Careers at DOJ
• Our Offices

Archived Press Releases

Archived News

Para Notícias en Español

Doc Antle, Owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, and Others Indicted for Federal Wildlife Trafficking and Money Laundering Crimes

A federal grand jury in Florence, South Carolina returned a 10-count indictment alleging charges related to wildlife trafficking and money laundering against five individuals:

• Bhagavan Mahamayavi Antle, aka Kevin Antle, aka Doc Antle, 62, of Myrtle Beach;
• Andrew Jon Sawyer aka Omar Sawyer, 52, of Myrtle Beach;
• Meredith Bybee, aka Moksha Bybee, 51, of Myrtle Beach;
• Charles Sammut, 61, of Salinas, California; and
• Jason Clay, 42, of Franklin, Texas.

According to the indictment and other court records, Antle is the owner and operator of The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S.), also known as the Myrtle Beach Safari. The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve in Myrtle Beach. Sawyer and Bybee are Antle’s employees and business associates.

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. Clay is the owner and operator of the Franklin Drive Thru Safari, a for-profit corporation that housed captive exotic species and sold tours and safari experiences to guests.

The indictment alleges that Antle, at various times along with Bybee, Sammut and Clay, illegally trafficked wildlife in violation of federal law, including the Lacey Act and the Endangered Species Act, and made false records regarding that wildlife. The animals involved included lemurs, cheetahs and a chimpanzee.

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. The filings allege that Antle had used bulk cash receipts to purchase animals for which he could not use checks, and that Antle planned to conceal the cash he received by inflating tourist numbers at the Myrtle Beach Safari.

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. Bybee, Sammut and Clay each face up to five years in federal prison for the charges related to the wildlife trafficking. Antle and Sawyer were previously granted a bond by a federal magistrate judge as a result of the charges in the federal complaint, and Bybee, Sammut and Clay are pending arraignment.

The case was investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service. The prosecutors on the case are Assistant U.S. Attorneys Derek A. Shoemake and Amy Bower for the District of South Carolina and Senior Trial Attorney Patrick M. Duggan of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division, Environmental Crimes Section.

An indictment is merely an allegation and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

Related Content

A Hamilton County, Ohio, man was sentenced to prison for violating the Clean Air Act through an aftermarket scheme to disable the emissions control systems of diesel trucks.

Two ship engineers on the oil tanker M/T Kriti Ruby pleaded guilty to charges related to the concealment of pollution by falsifying records, with the chief engineer also pleading guilty...

• Share full article

Advertisement

Supported by

Doc Antle of ‘Tiger King’ Is Convicted on Wildlife Trafficking Charges

Bhagavan Antle, who was found guilty on four felony counts, will be sentenced in September. He was cleared of the misdemeanor animal cruelty charges that he faced.

By Orlando Mayorquin

The owner of an animal park in South Carolina who was featured on the popular Netflix documentary “Tiger King” was convicted in Virginia last week on wildlife trafficking charges, state prosecutors announced.

Bhagavan Antle, better known as Doc Antle, was charged in October 2020 with illegally purchasing endangered lion cubs in Virginia for display at the park, Myrtle Beach Safari, along with nine misdemeanor animal cruelty charges. A Virginia jury convicted him on Friday of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiring to wildlife traffic, prosecutors said. Mr. Antle was cleared of all the misdemeanor charges he faced.

Each felony count is punishable by a maximum of five years imprisonment, according to state law . Mr. Antle is to be sentenced on Sept. 14.

Mr. Antle’s daughters Tawny Antle and Tilakam Watterson, who also faced misdemeanor animal cruelty charges, were cleared of all counts.

Mr. Antle made frequent appearances on “Tiger King,” the 2020 hit series that offered Americans quarantined during the pandemic an intimate look into the underbelly of the “big cat” trade in the United States.

The show’s eccentric star, Joseph Maldonado-Passage, known as Joe Exotic, is serving a 21-year sentence in federal prison for a murder-for-hire plot that targeted Carole Baskin, an animal-rights activist. She criticized Mr. Maldonado-Passage’s treatment of animals at his Oklahoma zoo and appeared on the Netflix show.

Mr. Antle, who is currently facing money laundering charges in a separate federal court case in South Carolina, denied “any act or conduct that could ever be considered as ‘animal cruelty,’” in a statement when the charges in Virginia were announced in 2020.

Jason Miyares, the state attorney general, said in a news release that the jury’s decision “sent a message that Virginia does not tolerate wildlife animal trafficking.”

Virginia law allows the trade of endangered wildlife, which includes lions, “for zoological, educational, or scientific purposes,” and for “preservation purposes,” only with special permission from a state board.

Mr. Antle’s lawyer, Erin Harrigan, called the jury’s decision not to convict Mr. Antle on the misdemeanor charges “a significant victory against spurious allegations of animal cruelty.” Ms. Harrigan said the felony offenses on which her client was convicted “amount to failing to obtain a permit for otherwise entirely lawful activity,” calling them “paperwork violations.”

The attorney general’s office, then headed by Mark R. Herring, charged Mr. Antle in 2020 following a monthslong investigation into Mr. Antle’s ties with a Virginia-based zoo owner, Keith A. Wilson, who was also indicted on wildlife trafficking charges.

An online court database showed on Wednesday that Mr. Wilson’s case was still open.

Judge grants motion to modify Myrtle Beach Safari owner’s bond conditions in federal case

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WMBF) – The owner of Myrtle Beach Safari, who was also featured on Netflix’s Tiger King , will be allowed to leave his home.

Doc Antle’s defense team filed a motion last week, asking to modify the conditions of his bond after he was arrested last year on money laundering and federal wildlife trafficking charges.

Doc Antle Federal Case

Some of his bond conditions include not leaving the state of South Carolina, home detention, surrendering his passport and not being able to possess a weapon.

The motion requested to remove the home detention condition, and also allow him to leave South Carolina in order to visit a friend in Atlanta.

“He has a loved one who recently suffered a serious injury, and his presence at the rehabilitation facility in Atlanta, Georgia, is required to visit the loved one and consult with medical personnel who are treating the loved one,” the motion states.

The government consented to Antle’s motion, and on Tuesday the judge granted the motion to remove home detention and allow Antle to travel to Atlanta.

Authorities first arrested Antle in June 2022 on money laundering charges.

He and his business associate, Andrew Sawyer, are accused of laundering over $500,000 in cash that they believed to be the proceeds of an operation to smuggle illegal immigrants across the Mexican border.

He was then charged in a federal wildlife trafficking case, where he’s accused of illegally trafficking animals such as lemurs, cheetahs and a chimpanzee.

Copyright 2023 WMBF. All rights reserved.

1 dead, 1 hurt in Horry County crash involving motorcycle

NWS confirms tornado touchdowns in Marion, Robeson County

FIRST ALERT: Possible tornado reported in Georgetown County Wednesday evening

HCS answers lawsuit claiming Black high school tennis player was used as ‘target practice’

Police arrest owner of Myrtle Beach’s infamous Yellow House on drug charges

Latest news.

Man wanted after fleeing Georgetown County traffic stop

Coroner’s office IDs 20-year-old killed in Marion drive-by shooting

Red Springs man arrested for drug, gun charges accused of killing his mother

‘Doc’ Antle pleads guilty to federal conspiracy, money-laundering charges, U.S. Justice Department says

C HARLESTON, S.C. (WBTW) — Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle pleaded guilty Monday morning to federal conspiracy and money laundering charges, according to the U.S. Justice Department.

Antle, 63, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the Lacey Act and conspiracy to launder money, the DOJ said in a news release. The Lacey Act prohibits trafficking of illegally taken wildlife, fish or plants, including animals protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Antle, the former ‘Tiger King’ star, faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release for each count. South Carolina U.S. District Court Judge Joseph Dawson III accepted Antle’s guilty plea and will sentence him after receiving and reviewing a sentencing report prepared by the U.S. Probation Office.

It’s not the first conviction for Antle . In June, he was found guilty in Virginia of two felony counts of wildlife trafficking and two felony counts of conspiracy to traffic wildlife. Authorities said he illegally bought endangered lion cubs in Frederick County, Virginia, that were later put on display in Myrtle Beach.

The Myrtle Beach Safari is a 50-acre wildlife tropical preserve that offers tours and private encounters with exotic wildlife. Antle is also the director of the Rare Species Fund, a nonprofit organization registered in South Carolina.

According to the DOJ, Antle conspired to violate the Lacey Act between September 2018 and May 2020 by directing the sale or purchase of two cheetah cubs, two lion cubs, two tigers and a juvenile chimpanzee — all of which are protected under the Endangered Species Act.

Antle used bulk cash payments to hide the transactions and falsified paperwork to show non-commercial transfers entirely within one state. Antle also requested that payments for endangered species be made to his nonprofit so they could appear as “donations,” the DOJ said.

The investigation also uncovered evidence of money laundering between February and April 2022, when Antle and a coconspirator conducted financial transactions with cash that they believed was obtained from transporting and harboring illegal aliens. To conceal and disguise the nature of the illegal cash, Antle and a co-conspirator took the cash they received and deposited it into accounts they controlled. They would then write a check to the individual who had provided the cash after taking a 15% fee per transaction.

Antle pleaded guilty in July 2022 to three wildlife trafficking charges.

“The defendant held himself out as a conservationist, yet repeatedly violated laws protecting endangered animals and then tried to cover up those violations,” said Todd Kim, assistant attorney general Todd Kim of the Justice Department’s Environment and Natural Resources Division. “This prosecution demonstrates our commitment to combatting illegal trafficking, which threatens the survival of endangered animals.”

Steve Jensen, special agent in charge of the FBI Columbia Field Office, called the guilty plea “a testament to the dedication and perseverance of the FBI and our law enforcement partners in combating illegal financial activities” and said that “the FBI remains committed to upholding the integrity of our financial systems and ensuring justice is served.”

For the latest news, weather, sports, and streaming video, head to WSPA 7NEWS.

A wild black leopard rests in a tree in Nagarhole National Park, in India. A man in Florida was recently mauled by a captive black leopard, after he paid $150 to enter its cage.

• WILDLIFE WATCH

Florida leopard attack put humans—and big cats—in a terrible situation

Online videos from roadside zoo owners create the false impression that it’s safe to play-fight with adult big cats. It’s not.

In late August, Dwight Turner paid $150 to get inside a cage with a black leopard at a house in Florida. Almost immediately, the leopard attacked, ripping his right ear in half with its teeth and tearing into his head. His wife had to press a dangling flap of his scalp back in place.

The incident, which took place at the home of animal dealer Michael Poggi in Davie, Florida, occurred during what was supposed to be a “ full-contact experience ” with the leopard, in which Turner would rub its belly and take photos with it .

The attack is a stark reminder that big cats are dangerous to people—a reality that’s become muddled through the lens of social media. Many big cat owners have shot to fame through Netflix’s hit docuseries Tiger King , and on platforms like TikTok, YouTube, and Instagram by posting videos of themselves play-wrestling and swimming with their adult tigers and lions, creating a false impression that these encounters are safe.

“These are animals whose brains are literally designed to be ambush predators,” says Imogene Cancellare , a National Geographic Explorer and conservation biologist studying snow leopards. “There is no scenario in which entering a [space] with a big cat is going to be 100 percent safe, even if it’s been hand-raised,” she says, as the majority of big cats in roadside and backyard zoos around the country have been.

The mystique of it all, like, ‘Wow, they have their own lion pride!’ can drive someone to want to do it too, not realizing that it’s a totally artificial creation. This man isn’t a lion whisperer—it’s completely unnatural. Siobhan Speiran , Ph.D. candidate in environmental studies at Queen’s University

Hand-raised big cats are still genetically wild, and they’ve been conditioned to interact with owners only as a function of being fed by them, she says. “At the end of the day, in my professional opinion, there is nothing you can do to make a tiger or lion or jaguar love you enough to overcome its predatory instincts that can turn on a dime.”

An illegal encounter

After the attack, first reported by Local 10 News in Florida, Turner underwent two surgeries and got 22 staples in his head. He’s still at risk of losing his right ear, according to a report filed by the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC), which investigated the case. Turner intends to file a lawsuit against Poggi, the owner of the leopard, his lawyer told Local 10 News.

For Hungry Minds

Poggi did not respond to a National Geographic request for comment by time of publication.

He is licensed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an animal dealer, and he owns the leopard legally. But Florida law prohibits letting a visitor have full contact with a big cat larger than 25 pounds. FWC charged Poggi with “allowing a member of the public full contact with an extremely dangerous full grown black leopard” and “maintaining captive wildlife in an unsafe condition,” according to the police report. Poggi is set to appear in court on December 2 and faces penalties of up to a year and a half in jail, and $1,500 in fines.

Federal regulations also state that barriers must exist between the public and big cats 12 weeks or older . For this reason, adult big cat encounters are rare at U.S. roadside zoos. The margin of error in these interactions, says National Geographic Explorer Andrew Stein, founder of CLAWS Conservancy , a nonprofit focused on mitigating human-wildlife conflict, “is the difference between having a safe encounter and possibly dying.”

Animal breeder Michael Poggi keeps his black leopard in this cage in the backyard of his Florida home. Dwight Turner, who had pre-arranged the leopard contact experience with Poggi, was attacked by the cat almost immediately after he entered the cage.

Nonetheless, these tourist encounters are commonplace in other countries, especially in Southeast Asia, and are normalized by many Insta-famous big cat owners, who interact with their own animals in social media videos.

You May Also Like

Rogue orcas are thriving on the high seas—and they’re eating big whales

Learning to Live With Leopards

Cats have 276 facial expressions. Why?

The allure of social media fantasy.

There’s “this Jungle Book -esque romanticism in communing with animals,” says Siobhan Speiran , a Ph.D. candidate in environmental studies at Queen’s University in Ontario, who has spent the last three years researching social media’s influence on people’s perceptions of wild animals . Popular exotic animal owners like Kody Antle, Kevin “The Lion Whisperer” Richardson, and Eduardo Serio of Black Jaguar White Tiger in Mexico all have acquired millions of followers by regularly posting videos of themselves wrestling with their big cats—like modern-day Mowglis.

These posts and videos “create a mythology around animal handlers—especially men,” Speiran says. “The mystique of it all, like, ‘Wow, they have their own lion pride!’” can drive someone to want to do it too, she says, “not realizing that it’s a totally artificial creation. This man isn’t a lion whisperer—it’s completely unnatural.”

But people buy into it, wanting to be close to these animal whisperers “like I want to be close to Jane Goodall,” Speiran says, noting that admiration for people who seem to share bonds with animals is probably a universal feeling for any animal lover.

The social media worlds these big cat owners create, however, make it difficult for the average person to tell the difference between someone who keeps, breeds, and sells access to exotic wildlife, and a conservationist, like Goodall, who works to save them, she says.

Adding to the confusion is the fact that many roadside zoo owners and breeders bill themselves as rescuers or advertise that their businesses help fund conservation. Kody Antle’s family runs a charity that purports to raise money for wild tiger conservation; Poggi describes his business as an animal sanctuary (legitimate sanctuaries typically do not allow public contact with wild animals, according to the Global Federation for Animal Sanctuaries). These are common marketing tactics used in the private zoo industry so customers feel like the money they’re paying to interact with wild animals is helping them.

Welfare issues at roadside zoos have been well-documented. In addition to speed-breeding tigers so there are always cubs for tourists to cuddle, some fail to provide adequate food, enclosures, and veterinary care. Just last month, Doc Antle, Kody’s father and the owner of the family’s Myrtle Beach Safari roadside zoo, was charged with wildlife trafficking and animal cruelty . Another Tiger King character, Jeff Lowe, lost his license to exhibit animals after authorities documented numerous cases of animal suffering .

“Folks probably think if [private big cat ownership] is really that bad, it would be illegal,” Speiran says. But “animals are, in many ways, the last frontier of social justice.”

Cancellare, Speiran, and Stein all say that the Big Cat Public Safety Act, a bill that aims to federally prohibit commercial breeding, public handling, and ownership of big cats as pets, could make a difference in curbing big cat ownership and backyard breeding in the U.S., protecting animals and people alike.

Eliminating cub-petting would “put a huge wrench in the demand for a constant supply of privately bred big cats and slow down interactions with adult animals as well—hopefully resulting in fewer articles being put out about maulings,” Cancellare says.

The point of these animals’ existence isn’t to be snuggled by people; the point we should be driving home, she says, “is to leave them alone.”

Related Topics

• ANIMAL ATTACKS
• ANIMAL WELFARE
• ANIMAL TRAINING

How ‘Tiger King’ helped kill the industry it made famous

Top 4 myths about wolves, busted by experts

What are animals thinking? They feel empathy, grieve, seek joy just like us.

Animal-friendly laws are gaining traction across the U.S.

Love them or hate them, hyenas are getting the last laugh

• Environment
• Perpetual Planet

History & Culture

• History & Culture
• History Magazine
• Mind, Body, Wonder
• Paid Content
• Terms of Use
• Privacy Policy
• Your US State Privacy Rights
• Children's Online Privacy Policy
• Interest-Based Ads
• About Nielsen Measurement
• Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information
• Nat Geo Home
• Attend a Live Event
• Book a Trip
• Inspire Your Kids
• Shop Nat Geo
• Visit the D.C. Museum
• Learn About Our Impact
• Support Our Mission
• Advertise With Us
• Customer Service
• Renew Subscription
• Manage Your Subscription
• Work at Nat Geo
• Sign Up for Our Newsletters
• Contribute to Protect the Planet

Copyright © 1996-2015 National Geographic Society Copyright © 2015-2024 National Geographic Partners, LLC. All rights reserved

Swimmers survive 2 shark attacks on same day at popular Myrtle Beach in South Carolina, police say

Two swimmers at South Carolina’s popular Myrtle Beach were bitten by sharks Monday but were expected to survive, police said.

Myrtle Beach police said in a statement the first attack occurred near the waters of 82nd Avenue North at about 11:17 a.m. A second swimmer was bitten about 12:35 p.m. off the waters of 75th Avenue North, police said.

The injuries in both instances “were later confirmed to be caused by a shark,” police said. “Our beach patrol works with the Florida Program for Shark Research at the University of Florida to identify marine animal bites, specifically, sharks."

A police spokesperson said Friday the swimmers’ injuries were not life threatening and the victims were a female juvenile and a woman.

One of the victims suffered a serious injury to the forearm and the second a more glancing bite to the leg, police told media outlets.

The attacks happened about a half-mile apart and police said there is no way to know if they are related.

ABC affiliate WPDE reported Karren Sites of Pittsburgh needed hundreds of stitches after she was bitten. She said she was the victim in the second shark attack near 75th Avenue North.

She had been on her first day of vacation with her 8-year-old grandson and in waist-deep water when the attack occurred.

“I just felt something, I guess, bite me and there was a shark on my arm. … I kept pushing at it to get it off my arm and it did,” she said.

Brian Sites said he heard his grandmother scream.

“I couldn’t even see the shark coming up, but all I saw was the shark jumped up and it didn’t even bite all the way,” WPDE reported.

Shark attacks on humans are extremely rare. While millions of people enjoyed the water, just 47 shark bites were reported at beaches in the U.S. in 2021 , according to the International Shark Attack File maintained by the University of Florida.

Four shark attacks were reported in South Carolina last year. Florida led the nation with 28, the group said.

Last month, there were multiple shark attacks off Long Island on the same day.

On July 6, A 49-year-old Arizona man was bitten on the wrist and the buttocks in waist-deep water off Seaview Beach around 6 p.m., Suffolk County police said.

Earlier in the day, about 20 miles away, a shark bit a paddleboarder near Smith Point, which, like Seaview, is on Fire Island, officials said.

The person was knocked off a paddleboard about 7:30 a.m. and suffered a 4-inch gash to the leg, Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone said.

Antonio Planas is a breaking news reporter for NBC News Digital. 

The Associated Press

'I never want to come back.' Myrtle Beach attack victim speaks as police hunt for suspects

by NICHOLAS PAPANTONIS | WPDE Staff

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (WPDE) — Two people are recovering after they said they were attacked in Myrtle Beach early Tuesday morning.

Colin Bill, 20, of Rochester, NY said he was coming back from a late night beach walk with his girlfriend when a man and a woman pulled up to them at the intersection of Ocean Boulevard and 16th Avenue North and asked for a lighter.

Bill said he turned them down, explaining that he doesn't smoke, and tried to walk away. He said the others took offense to the way he responded and attacked from behind, pushing them into the beach access between two hotels.

Once that began, he said, others joined in or filmed the fight using their phones. He said no one stepped in to help.

"I thought the most appropriate thing to do was walk past and say no," he said. "That turned into me getting grabbed, hit from behind and then ultimately jumped by 12 plus males."

Police said they responded to a fight at that location around 2:30 that morning.

"We have an active fight in progress," a dispatcher can be heard saying on Tuesday morning over the radio.

An official can then be heard saying a victim has blood coming out of his mouth later in the radio call.

Officers said footage of the conversation was caught on a camera, but the assault happened out of its view. A neighboring hotel declined to let ABC 15 review footage from its security cameras that were aimed at the access.

Bill's jaw was broken in three places, according to his mother.

"They kicked me in the face," he said. "Everything you can imagine."

A young woman was also injured. Bill said the group of males removed her shorts during the fight and dragged her across the ground.

The two, though, were upset by the way police responded to the scene. While officers arrived quickly, Bill and his mother both recalled them downplaying his injuries.

"I just don't understand why he wasn't immediately taken to the hospital," mother Rebecca Black said, adding that she drove him to Grand Strand Medical Center after asking officers for directions. "You could see his teeth were all uneven and crooked."

HCFR administrators confirmed that an ambulance was dispatched to the scene, and the family said it was there for a period of time.

A police report states that Bill turned down EMS help. Black said help was never offered and police never asked Bill to sign any sort of victim's statement.

Detectives were assigned to the case Wednesday afternoon, shortly before Bill was discharged from the hospital.

This story has taken off on social media after she posted about it asking for justice for her son. She said a hotel manager also put her in touch with former mayor Mark McBride, who offered guidance about the area.

"This is our first time as a family, everyone [on vacation together]," Black said. "Now it was ruined. I never want to come back to South Carolina ever in my life."

Police shared surveillance video of possible suspects to social media Wednesday night.

"Through the use of city cameras other vehicles and individuals of interest were observed at the scene," the post said. "Investigators are working to locate these individuals. If you have any information, photos, or video please come forward and contact MBPD at 843-918-1382 or by email at [email protected] and reference report number 20-008774."

A department spokesman recommended that the victims file their complaints about the responding officers to the department's Office of Professional Standards for further investigation.