The new spinoff documentary Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is streaming on Netflix, and the newfound attention on Bhagavan "Doc" Antle has PETA demanding a criminal investigation. Previously, Antle was featured in the original hit series Tiger King: Murder, Madness and Mayhem. He serves as the primary subject of the new three-part spinoff series which has just made its debut on Netflix a month after Tiger King's second season premiered.

As far as PETA is concerned, the only news about Antle should be about the Tiger King star finally being held accountable for his alleged crimes. An open letter released by the organization states, "Since the first season of Tiger King, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) has cited or sued every animal-exploiting roadside exhibitor featured in the series for animal welfare violations—except for Myrtle Beach Safari operator Bhagavan “Doc” Antle, so today, PETA fired off a letter demanding that the agency start holding him accountable."

The organization adds, "Antle breeds big-cat cubs, prematurely separates them from their mothers, and forces them—including as juveniles and as adults—into stressful and dangerous on-camera encounters with influencers, athletes, other 'VIPs,' and members of the public under a 'closed set' exemption that does not legally exist and appears to be reserved just for him. The USDA is greenlighting these potentially deadly publicity stunts, despite officially maintaining that using big cats in this way violates the federal Animal Welfare Act (AWA). In 2005, the USDA told Antle that these animal encounters violated the AWA, prompting him to sue—and lose. But his reckless stunts have continued."

“Turning a camera on does not suddenly make it safe or acceptable to harass and mistreat big cats,” says PETA Foundation Deputy General Counsel for Captive Animal Law Enforcement Brittany Peet. “Antle is not above the law, and PETA is calling on the USDA to throw the book at him at long last for brazen animal exploitation and human endangerment.”

"Antle’s stunts also fly in the face of the USDA’s recent official advisory urging big-cat exhibitors to suspend hands-on animal encounters during the pandemic—and for good reason, as COVID-19 is transmissible to humans from other species and animals at zoos across the country have contracted the disease from humans," PETA's statement adds.

The original Tiger King series didn't paint "Doc" Antle in the most flattering light. He has since suggested that the portrayal of him wasn't accurate, telling TMX.news, "Remember, this is not a documentary. This is a salacious, outrageous ride through a television show produced to create drama."

Tiger King: The Doc Antle Story is now streaming on Netflix, as are the first two seasons of Tiger King. Joe Exotic, one of the subjects of the Tiger King franchise, has been serving time in prison on murder-for-hire and animal cruelty charges; he was recently transferred to a medical facility following a cancer diagnosis. From behind bars, Exotic was involved with the second season of Tiger King.

Time will tell if Antle ends up going to court as PETA is hoping for. This news comes to us from PETA.