A Nevada man who was arrested Wednesday after seven tigers were seized from his home said they were his “emotional support animals.”
Officials conducted a raid on 71-year-old Karl Mitchell’s Pahrump home Wednesday morning and arrested the man for resisting arrest. Mitchell did not have a Special Conditions Animal Permit to own the animals, which is required by Nye County, and violated other rules over the years, officials said.
“We have received information over the years that he has been seen walking the tigers loose around the property, off the property in the desert,” Nye County Sheriff Joe MCgill said in an interview with NBC affiliate KSNV. “There have been social media posts from him with people interacting with the cats which is also in violation.”
In an interview with the outlet, Mitchell said he did not need permits because the tigers are his emotional support animals, and that the public was not in any danger from the tigers.
Mitchell also said he “rescued” the big cats from “Tiger King” Joe Exotic, the former Oklahoma zookeeper of Netflix fame who was convicted in a murder-for-hire case involving animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. He’s currently serving a 21-year sentence in prison.
Mitchell initially accompanied deputies who were walking around the property during the raid Wednesday, but refused to hand over keys to the tiger cages so a veterinarian and wildlife refuge workers could inspect and take custody of them, according to a report from the Nye County Sheriff’s Office.
