Authorities in Nevada removed seven tigers from a residence in Parumph early Wednesday morning.
The Nye County Sheriff’s Office said in a brief statement that deputies would be assisting members of the county’s code enforcement and animal services team with the seizure, which they said would take the entire day.
Shortly after arriving at the property, deputies arrested the owner of those seven tigers. The NCSO arrested Karl Mitchell on charges of fighting a deputy and illegally owning, and booked him into custody.
He was released just a few hours later, at around the same time all the tigers had been removed from his home.
Mitchell tells us he is still in shock that the tigers are gone, saying that both his mental and physical well-being are tied to the animals.
He says in the past, he would make videos with the tigers and could be seen walking around with them — but that things are much different these days.
“Really, I am just retired and living here with my tigers, who give me a sense of calm,” Mitchell explains. “I am 100% disabled with PTSD and my psychiatrist at [Veterans Affairs] prescribed these as emotional support tigers.”
That PTSD stems from being shot during his service during the Vietnam War, says Mitchell.
He also says that the tigers have all been with him for eight or nine years, since they were cubs.
As for the charges against him, Mitchell and his girlfriend claim that he did not resist arrest at any point.
“What happened was I got very nervous that they were going to give the tigers ketamine,” Karl’s girlfriend Catherine Griffiths tells PEOPLE. “And I was crying and shaking while petting the tigers, and because I have epilepsy, Karl came over to comfort me and then [deputies] just pulled him away.”
Joe Exotic. Steve Sisney/The Oklahoman/Imagn/USA Today Network/Sipa
Both Mitchell and Griffiths said they were fearful about what might happen if the tigers were drugged and then placed in an “unfamiliar, unvented trailer.” They also say the animals were treated well.
“Every day they get five gallons of water and plenty of food. I have a while truck full of food I was getting ready to give them yesterday,” Mitchell says,
He says that the county wants him to get proper permits to keep the animals, but he believes that the local ordinance is in conflict with the American with Disabilities Act because of the tigers’ roles as emotional support animals for his PTSD.
Despite Mitchell’s protests, the news of the seizure for celebration for Big Cat Rescue, the former sanctuary for large cats founded by Carole Baskinthat now focuses its time and funds on conservation efforts.
After news of the seizure, Big Cat Rescue released a statement that said in part: “Seven tigers were rescued. Each animal bore the physical and emotional scars of their captivity — pacing from stress, malnourished, or neglected — but they were alive.”
In a bit of a surprising twist, Mitchell tells us that four of the seven cats seized on Wednesday once belonged to Joseph “Joe Exotic” Maldonado-Passage, whose longtime feud with Baskin was the basis for the popular reality series Tiger King.
A Nye County spokesperson says the tigers are being moved to a sanctuary outside the state and authorities will continue to investigate the case.
