How Chris Brown’s daughter wound up at the center of PETA, Myrtle Beach Safari standoff
PETA is calling for Myrtle Beach Safari owner Bhagavan “Doc” Antle to be investigated after singer Chris Brown’s daughter, Royalty, was pictured playing on an elephant’s head during a visit.
PETA — which stands for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals — sent a letter Tuesday to the U.S. Dept. of Agriculture, asking it to investigate Antle, alleging he violated numerous regulations, including incidents pertaining to Royalty Brown’s visit.
Antle on Tuesday vehemently denied that any wrongdoing took place.
A video posted Friday to Royalty Brown’s verified Instagram account shows her swimming with, climbing on top of and diving off elephant Bubbles while accompanied by Antle, who starred in the popular Netflix docu-series “Tiger King.” The caption says “Friday turn up with BUBBLES” and tags Myrtle Beach Safari.
PETA claims in the letter, obtained by The Sun News, that it was dangerous for the 7-year-old to dive off the large animal and, therefore, Antle violated the Animal Welfare Act.
“Royalty has a frightened expression on her face as she starts to slip from Bubbles’ head,” the letter states. “This dangerous stunt put Royalty at risk of serious injury or drowning.”
Antle, however, said animal rights organizations such as PETA don’t understand USDA protocols and therefore file illegitimate complaints regularly.
“We are well aware of the USDA protocols to conduct this type of filming, as we have been involved in film work of this nature for decades, including more than 500 films, documentaries, television productions and advertisements,” Antle said Tuesday. “... Rest assured that we are in full compliance with all federal and state regulations. USDA is our partner in animal welfare and we share a passion and commitment to providing the highest possible care for our animal ambassadors at the preserve.”
PETA says the USDA itself warns that people are putting themselves at risk when they interact with an elephant and requires them to stay 8 feet away in order to have “an escape route.”
“Elephants pose a significant danger to humans due to their sheer size, strength and intelligence. It’s particularly hazardous for members of the public to be near elephants’ heads, tusks, and trunks, which the animals may use to knock, throw, gore, or crush someone without warning. In nature, elephants use their incredible strength to uproot trees and ward off threats — even flipping the cars of tourists that get too close,” the letter states.
Royalty Brown’s Instagram account, which has more than 1.1. million followers, also features a video of her swimming with a tiger, with the caption “Living the dream!” and a photo of her with a monkey.
“We occasionally have VIP guests to the Preserve that are often kind enough to participate in closed-set film productions and public service announcements aimed at bringing awareness to our global wildlife conservation efforts,” Antle said. “These productions reach tens of millions of people and have raised millions of dollars for conservation.”
Though it’s unclear the age of the tiger in the video, PETA argues that Antle has repeated allowed visitors to interact with tigers more than 12-16 weeks old, which it says the USDA considers to be unsuitable.
In Defense of Animals, a California-based animal protection organization, earlier this year chided Myrtle Beach Safari, ranking it No. 6 on its annual list of 10 Worst Zoos for Elephants in North America, according to a news release.
Myrtle Beach Safari did not respond to that report at the time.
“Please hold Antle and any other responsible parties fully accountable for any and all violations you discover during your investigation,” the letter states.
PETA has also targeted Socastee’s Wacatee Zoo, most recently citing a U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection report containing citations for violations of the Animal Welfare Act.
This story was originally published August 24, 2021 at 3:18 PM.
