PAHRUMP (KTNV) — Tigers seized from a property in Pahrump arrived at a wildlife sanctuary in Arkansas on Friday morning, Channel 13 has confirmed.
The tigers were seized because their owner, Karl Mitchell, did not have permits to keep them, officials with the Nye County Sheriff's Office told Channel 13.
WATCH | Video shows the tigers being seized by Nye County authorities on Wednesday
Mitchell is known for his association with Joe Exotic, who gained notoriety through the popular Netflix documentary "Tiger King."
Joe Exotic, whose real name is Joseph Maldonado-Passage, was previously found guilty of trying to hire two men to kill animal welfare activist Carole Baskin. In January 2022, he was sentenced to serve 21 years in prison.
In a social media post on Friday, Baskin's organization, Big Cat Rescue, claimed the seven tigers seized from Mitchell were being taken to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Arkansas. It's the same sanctuary where Baskin's big cats now reside.
"In 2023, when we funded the building of the large enclosures for our tigers at their Freedom Field, TCWR made a very significant commitment of their own funds to build additional enclosures at Freedom Field in anticipation of the need for future rescues," Big Cat Rescue stated. "Their foresight has proven to be a great decision. The Nevada cats will now occupy these spacious green enclosures and receive state-of-the-art veterinary care, enrichment, and custom diets."
Channel 13 reached out to Turpentine Creek to confirm the cats had been taken there and learned the animals arrived at the sanctuary on Friday morning.
Cheryl King, the sanctuary's marketing director, tells us staff are in the process of unloading the cats into their new habitat areas, where they will be under watch until they've adapted to their new surroundings.
The process of unloading the cats has been complicated by thunderstorms throughout the day, King added.
13 Investigates previously reported that Mitchell had purchased tiger cubs from Joe Exotic.
We should also note, Joe Exotic commented on Channel 13's social media in response to this story. In a statement posted to his X page, Joe Exotic claims Mitchell did not get the tigers from him. However, official records obtained by Channel 13 prove that Mitchell got tigers and multiple other animals from GW Exotic Animal Park, the business formerly run by Joe Exotic and his associate, Jeff Lowe.
Mitchell has made headlines in past years for clashes with authorities over his possession of exotic cats. He says he is a veteran and claims the tigers are emotional support animals.
WATCH | Nye County Sheriff Joe McGill discusses the case with Joe Moeller:
He was arrested on Wednesday for resisting an officer when Nye County deputies served a search warrant, officials told Channel 13. He has since posted bail and spoke to Channel 13 anchor Joe Moeller on Thursday.
We asked Mitchell about Nye County officials' claim that he did not have proper permits to possess tigers. He claims that's not correct.
"I won't go any further than that, but to say that — they all know that we are exempt," Mitchell said. "The way the laws read, the federal laws read, zoning and planning can't make rules to affect emotional support animals."
Mitchell also tells us he is working with a lawyer to appeal his eviction from the property where the tigers were kept and adds he intends to get the animals back.
UPDATE | Hear from Karl Mitchell after his release from jail:
