A Nevada man, 71-year-old Karl Mitchell, was arrested after authorities seized seven tigers that he claimed were “emotional support” animals. The arrest occurred on his property in Pahrump, Nye County, about 50 miles west of Las Vegas, on charges of resisting a public officer and illegal possession of a firearm, as Mitchell is a convicted felon. Mitchell had previously been seen taking tigers for walks in the desert around his home and allowing passersby to take photographs of him with the felines. After the arrest, Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill said that Mitchell did not have the necessary permits to keep the exotic animals and that there had been no attempt on his part to obtain them. Mitchell later told officers that he had “rescued” the felines from the well-known television personality Joe Exotic, who had custody of them as the former owner and operator of the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park (G.W. Zoo) in Oklahoma. Joe Exotic became famous thanks to the Netflix docu-series Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem and Madness, which chronicles his life and vicissitudes, including the feud with Carole Baskin for which he is now serving a 21-year prison sentence. Baskin is the director of Big Cat Rescue, an organization dedicated to the protection and conservation of exotic wild feline species that fights against the private ownership of these animals.
After his arrest, Mitchell was released on bail and sued the county residents who had reported him to law enforcement, demanding more than $1 million in damages, for “intentionally interfering” with his private life and causing him emotional distress.
