Bizarre discovery made inside small home in remote Nevada desert
Authorities in Nevada seized seven tigers from a small remote desert home owned by an exotic animal owner.
The wild animals were snatched from Karl Mitchell's home in Pahrump - about an hour outside of Las Vegas - around 7am Wednesday morning, according to the Nye County Sheriff's Office.
The department posted images of the tigers to Facebook, telling the public the seizure of the animals will 'take the better part of the day' to complete alongside Code Enforcement and Animal Service officials.
The animals were seen behind fences as the department added: 'This is taking place on private property and there is no public access.'
Mitchell, 71, has reportedly been violating special condition permits and ordinances related to the ownership of his tigers for several years.
Mitchell, who has connections to convicted felon Joe Exotic, was also taken into custody for resisting a peace officer, a spokesperson with the Nye County Sheriff's Office told DailyMail.com.
He is currently being held at Nye County Detention Center in Pahrump while the tigers are set to be taken to 'an undisclosed sanctuary where they will be held until ordered to be released.'
The exotic cats are also being examined by a vet. Their conditions 'seemed good but there were some concerns about the living conditions,' the spokesperson added.
The Nye County Sheriff's Officer seized seven tigers from exotic animal owner Karl Mitchell's home in Pahrump, Nevada Wednesday morning
Mitchell has reportedly been violating special condition permits and ordinances related to the ownership of his tigers for several years. (Pictured: The home the wild animals were found)
Mitchell (right), who has connections to convicted felon Joe Exotic , was also taken into custody for resisting a peace officer
Nye County Sheriff Joe McGil told 8 News Now the seizure of the tigers will likely take most of the day because the animals have to be sedated.
It is illegal for a person, partnership, corporation, or other legal entity to sell, transfer, import, purchase or possess an animal that is classified as special conditions in Nye County, according to county code.
People are only allowed to do so if they hold a permit or are exempt from holding a permit.
Mitchell has long been involved in several legal battles related to the ownership of his tigers. He has also been cited dozens of times for violating basic animal care standards.
His license for the animals was previously revoked by the federal government, but in 2019 he won an appeal with the Nye County Commission to keep 10 exotic cats at his Pahrump ranch legally after claiming they were 'therapy animals,' Animals 24-7 reported.
During a dispute over the ownership of his tigers in 2015, Mitchell said the judge who ruled against him keeping them, was driven by 'racial hatred,' according to Pahrump Valley Times.
Mitchell, who is black, previously said: 'I'm not disappointed, I expected it. She's afraid of controversy. She claims to read everything, but if she read everything, she wouldn't have made the decision that she made.'
The exotic cats are being examined by a vet and are set to be sedated. (Pictured: One of the tigers laying down in a cage)
Their conditions 'seemed good but there were some concerns about the living conditions,' a spokesperson with the sheriff's office told DailyMail.com
Mitchell has long been involved in several legal battles related to the ownership of his tigers. He was also cited dozens of times for violating basic animal care standards
'Racial hatred and animus is behind all of this. I've been trying to be a good man, but I'm continually picked at and probed.
'People need to understand that there are four other facilities in town that are not required to have conditional use permits. There's one facility one mile from here and they have cats but they are not required to have a conditional use permit.'
He is also said to have bought tigers from Joe Exotic, also known as the 'Tiger King,' according to multiple reports.
Mitchell is an 'animal trainer and expert' at Big Cat Encounters, according to the company's website which has since been taken down.
DailyMail.com contacted Mitchell for comment but did not immediately hear back.
