Hey there, all you cool cats and kittens! As Netflix's documentary Tiger King continues to take the world by storm, one of the movie's participants has expressed their unhappiness with how they were portrayed. Dr. Bhagavan Antle aka "Doc Antle" is displeased with how his zoo was represented, making his views known via a now-deleted social media post.
"We are very disappointed that our facility was mentioned in the new Netflix series. We can only assume it is because Doc Antle has been such a high profile wildlife personality for so many decades that his association would create more buzz. It is important to understand that this series is not a documentary; it's sensationalized entertainment with paid participants."
"Tiger King is the bizarre story of Joe and Carole and their feud. These characters are not representative of experts in the wildlife sector or world class facilities like ours here in Myrtle Beach. Myrtle Beach Safari has been recognized by the state of South Carolina as one of the pre-eminent wildlife facilities in the United States. We've also received international accolades for the critical role we provide with our qualified, captive breeding programs and our global conservation efforts of threatened and endangered species."
Bhagavan Antle seems to suggest that whilst he is a professional advocate of wildlife conservation, his image and the image of his facility have been tarred with the same brush as that of Joe Exotic and Carole Baskin, whose story makes up the main narrative of the documentary.
"Myrtle Beach Safari adheres to all USDA guidelines, and our animals are treated with the utmost care. We have never had a USDA violation and work collaboratively with various state and federal wildlife agencies to ensure our animals receive the very best life each and every day. Over the decades we have heard every sort of fantasy scenario regarding our facility. Many of these less-than-flattering mistruths have been manufactured by those in the animal rights movement that oppose animal ambassador programs of any sort."
"In the end, we hope you will come visit us and judge for yourself. Every visitor to our facility quickly recognizes the magical place we have created. We remain open during these challenging times with both Day and Night Safari options. Our tours are held outdoors and our 50 acre preserve provides plenty of area for social distance."
Doc Antle (who, if you're interested, claims to have earned a doctor of natural sciences degree from the Chinese Science Foundation) goes on to suggest that the negative stories surrounding himself and his facility have been concocted by various animal rights groups in order to bring him down. Of course, this kind of claim is leveled at animal rights groups by Joe Exotic as well throughout the documentary.
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness centers on a rivalry between big cat eccentrics which takes a dark turn when Joe Exotic, a controversial animal park boss, is caught in a murder-for-hire plot. The series has proven to be a huge success for the streaming service, with the colorful cast of characters proving to be a welcome escape to the ongoing circumstances.
The story has even become popular with Hollywood A-listers, with both Edward Norton and Dax Shepard vying for the now much-coveted role of Joe Exotic for any future adaptations. At present, Saturday Night Live star Kate McKinnon is all set to play Carole Baskin in a min-series that she will also produce. This news come to us from Popculture. Antle's now-deleted post was made on his official Instagram.