Nevada
Seven ’emotional support’ tigers seized from Nevada man who said some came from Joe Exotic
Animal welfare workers recovered the tigers in cages at the Pahrump home of longtime big cat handler Karl Mitchell on Wednesday. He says they’re for his PTSD.
A Nevada man has been arrested after officials seized seven tigers that he says served as his emotional support animals.
Animal welfare workers recovered the tigers in cages at the Pahrump home of longtime big cat handler Karl Mitchell on Wednesday, according to the Nye County Sheriff’s Office. Pahrump is just outside Death Valley National Park.
Mitchell, 71, claimed he had obtained six of seven the large cats from incarcerated zookeeper Joseph Allen Maldonado, better known as Joe Exotic from the Netflix docuseries “The Tiger King,” local station KSNV-TV reported.
Mitchell was arrested on charges of resisting arrest and unlawful possession of a firearm. He was later released from county jail Wednesday evening, the sheriff’s office confirmed Friday.
USA TODAY was working to determine whether Mitchell has an attorney for comment.
Mitchell feared tigers would be euthanized, officials say
Mitchell was initially detained in handcuffs but then released because he cooperated during the seizure, sheriff’s deputies said. He became emotional, they said, soon after getting the impression the tigers would be euthanized.
Officers gave Mitchell a “reasonable amount of time” before directing him to enter a SWAT vehicle and then using physical force, the sheriff’s office said.
“I can walk myself, you don’t need to grab me,” Mitchell told sheriff deputies while tensing his arm and tried to break the hold, the sheriff’s office said.
Mitchell expressed concern for his health though the sheriff’s office said he did not appear to be suffering from any medical issues and declined their offer to get his medication from the house. After refusing to move toward the vehicle, deputies say they used physical force, though they did not specify what that entailed.
Deputies then conducted a search warrant and found a handgun in a bedroom. The sheriff’s office said Mitchell is not allowed to have a gun because he is felon but did not clarify what he’s been convicted of.
Joe Exotic denies giving Mitchell any tigers
Joe Exotic denied giving anyone tigers in an an voice message recorded from a federal prison in Texas and posted on X.
“You need to quit slandering me on television before you do your research … None of these tigers came from me,” he said. “Until you want a real story leave my name out of it.”
The 62-year-old Kansas native is currently serving a 21-year sentence at the Federal Medical Center in Fort Worth, Texas. In 2019, he was convicted of 19 counts of wildlife crimes and two counts relating to a murder-for-hire case of rival zoo operator Carole Baskin.
Where are Mitchell’s tigers?
Animal welfare workers took Mitchell’s seven tigers to an undisclosed sanctuary, where they will remain awaiting a court decision.
The sheriff’s office said a veterinarian was on site during the seizure.
Mitchell’s past issues with animal permit
The Nye County Commission approved a special animal permit for Mitchell in 2019, according to the Reno Gazette-Journal, part of the USA TODAY Network. It’s not immediately clear what the permit entailed and whether it expired since 2019.
Under the permit, Mitchell was not allowed to exhibit the big cats and had to notify animal control before transporting them, and then only for medical reasons.
In 2010, Mitchell was ordered to pay more than $68,000 in civil penalties for continued violations, including exhibiting tigers without a license and refusing to allow inspections.
Mitchell has said he is disabled and lives with PTSD, and that a Veterans Affairs psychiatrist prescribed the tigers as emotional support animals. A letter from the VA was included in public documents submitted to Nye County commissioners during a 2019 hearing to get his permit.
During the hearing, officials noted the tigers had come from Oklahoma.
Joe Exotic’s roadside zoo, the Greater Wynnewood Exotic Animal Park, operated in Oklahoma until it was shut down following federal investigations.
Contributing: Jeffrey Meehan, Reno Gazette Journal
Summary
Meg Fitzgerald serves as the Student Actualization and Engagement Graduation Specialist for the Honors College, where she supports students on their journey to successfully graduating with Honors.
With a strong focus on honors advising and student engagement, Meg is deeply committed to fostering student success and helping each student reach their full potential. Throughout her decades-long career, her guiding goal has always been to empower students to thrive academically and personally.
In her free time, Meg enjoys traveling with her family, experimenting with new recipes, and reading.
Education
M.Ed in Counseling, Northern Arizona University
B.A. in Psychology, The College of New Jersey
CARSON CITY — With less than half an hour until the end of the legislative session, lawmakers voted to send a budget funding capital improvement projects to Gov. Joe Lombardo’s desk — the last budget bill the Legislature is constitutionally required to pass.
Senate Bill 502 would pay for about $1.56 billion worth of projects, $1.1 billion financed through bonds.
It faced hurdles Monday after the Senate did not concur on an amendment that would have provided up to $50 million of general obligation bonds for attainable housing projects. The Assembly had first approved the amendment Sunday in a 38-4 vote, but it receded the amendment around 11:40 p.m., or else it would have faced going into a special session.
Before the housing amendment was removed, Assemblymembers Sandra Jauregui and Daniele Monroe-Moreno urged their colleagues to support the amended bill late Sunday night. It would have created the Nevada Attainable Housing Infrastructure Account for housing development projects. Up to $50 million of general obligation bonds would have been deposited in the account in the 2025-2027 biennium to be used for loans.
“With this amendment, we are keeping our promise to focus on affordable, attainable housing this legislative session,” Jauregui, D-Las Vegas, said Sunday night. “With the amendment, we are making sure that we are going to fund those projects that will help the affordability of housing in our state, and I want to thank the housing division and the executive branch for the hours that we have worked together to make this possible.”
Republican Assemblymembers Heidi Kasama, Danielle Gallant, Ken Gray and Jill Dickman voted in opposition Sunday.
In a statement, Kasama said she was concerned with structural deficits that were not resolved when the vote took place.
This is a developing story. Check back for updates.
Contact Jessica Hill at jehill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @jess_hillyeah on X.
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