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 Pahrumphome 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.
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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.
The seven tigers were seized from Mitchell's home and evaluated by a veterinarian who was on site during their removal, according to the Nye County Sheriff's Office. The big cats will be taken "to an undisclosed sanctuary where they will be held until ordered to be released."
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Court documents filed as recently as 2020 show a back-and-forth between Mitchell and Nye County, including the county asking the 71-year-old to move animals from his property and lawsuits he filed in response asking for over $1,000,000 in damages.
In a lawsuit filed by Mitchell and his wife in 2020, they allege that the county "has intentionally interfered" with their "business and private life" and caused extreme distress "due to the threat of the County taking what the County has recognized as their emotional support animals."
Mitchell was charged with resisting a peace officer during the seizure of the animals and booked into the Nye County Detention Center in Pahrump, according to the sheriff's office. Deputies also found a handgun in Mitchell's possession, triggering a charge of possession of a gun by a prohibited person, as he has been convicted of a felony.
Mitchell was released on $6,000 bail on the same day, per officials.He did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
McGill said more charges can be filed against Mitchell in the near future, adding that a couple of the animals taken from his property "visibly appeared to be underweight," and some of their water dishes had algae growing in them.
The Nye County District Attorney's Office has not officially filed charges against Mitchell and did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
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