(Thechieftainspear) – A 71-year-old Nevada resident was taken into custody last week after deputies seized seven tigers from his Pahrump home—wild animals he insisted were emotional support companions, according to several news outlets.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office executed a raid on Karl Mitchell’s property on March 2, citing that he lacked the special permits required to house such exotic animals. Pahrump, located about 65 miles west of Las Vegas, has regulations that limit private ownership of wild animals like tigers.
Sheriff Joe McGill stated that Mitchell had been seen walking the tigers around his property and even allowing others to interact with them—both actions prohibited under local animal control laws. Images and videos of these encounters had also surfaced on social media.
Mitchell, who has a long and controversial history with exotic animals, previously sued Nye County in 2020, claiming that his tigers had already been acknowledged as emotional support animals and should be exempt from permit requirements. He continues to argue that his animals pose no public danger.
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Adding another layer to the story, Mitchell alleged that he had rescued the tigers from Joseph Maldonado, better known as Joe Exotic. Maldonado was the central figure of Netflix’s Tiger King and is currently serving a prison sentence for crimes including animal abuse, illegal wildlife sales, and a murder-for-hire plot targeting animal rights activist Carole Baskin. His sentence was recently reduced from 22 years to 21 on appeal.
During the March 2 raid, Mitchell was arrested on charges of resisting a peace officer and being a felon in possession of a firearm. He was later released on $6,000 bail, NBC News reported.
Authorities also raised concerns about the tigers’ welfare. Some of the animals appeared malnourished, and their water containers were reportedly found with algae buildup, according to Sheriff McGill.
A veterinarian present during the seizure assessed the tigers’ condition. The animals were then transported to a secure, undisclosed sanctuary where they will remain in protective custody until further legal decisions are made.
Mitchell is scheduled to return to court on May 15, where he will face further legal scrutiny over his unconventional claims and the conditions in which the tigers were kept .
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