‘Tiger King’: Who Is Moksha Bybee? She’s 1 of 3 Women Who Survived a Complicated Apprenticeship Process
Many are trying to figure out what is happening in the Netflix docuseries, Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness, while others want to know what’s up with Doc Antle and his three “apprentices.” They’re all shown in the seven-part series along with other implications that stem from animal cruelty insinuations via G.W. zookeeper, and the subject of Tiger King, Joe Exotic. That said, one of Doc Antle’s leading ladies has a strong social media presence. Who is Moksha Bybee and how did she become part of this madness?
Doc Antle has three ‘apprentices’ who work at his Myrtle Beach sanctuary
Bhagavan Kevin ‘Doc’ Antle isn’t the main focus of Tiger King, but his story isn’t any less fascinating. Antle owns and operates a 50-acre wildlife preserve in South Myrtle Beach: The Institute for Greatly Endangered and Rare Species (T.I.G.E.R.S). He also served as Joe Exotic’s mentor.
Antle, raised on am Arizona cattle ranch, earned a doctorate in traditional medicine. Per the T.I.G.E.R.S website, he’s “among the most noted animal trainers in the world,” having worked on “500 films, documentaries, TV shows and advertisements promoting best wildlife conservation practices.”
While Exotic notoriously had four husbands through the years — three shown on camera, and two at the same time — Antle’s love life appears to be just as complicated.
Currently, there are three main women who help run the sanctuary at Antle’s side. Each claim to work from 7 a.m. to midnight each and every day, per the documentary. Some think Antle is married to the women, others say he’s not. A few think there are far more than just the three.
Antle recently addressed rumors of marrying three women.
“I am absolutely not married nor have I been since my wife died over 20 years ago now,” he said, via Oxygen.com. “I’m not married and I certainly don’t have wives. I certainly am a single guy and I live in a house by myself.”
One of those women, Moksha Bybee, has quite the following on social media for her animal-heavy posts that entice many to visit the sanctuary.
Who is Moksha Bybee?
As stated on the T.I.G.E.R.S website, Meredith “Moksha” Bybee is the general manager of the wildlife preserve. Her bio states that she’s a Utah native, having grown up “surrounded by farm animals and the wide outdoors.”
This year marks Bybee’s 19th year at the sanctuary as one of the top tour guides. She’s been with the Safari since 2001 and goes by the moniker “Monkey Mama,” for raising all the baby monkeys and apes.
Bybee is considered “a professional Liger expert,” according to Liger World. She’s one of the few who’s “raised at least 3 to 4 generations of ligers to adulthood.” T.I.G.E.R.S holds the record for producing maximum numbers of ligers in the world.
That said, Bybee’s Instagram following may go up once more people tune into Tiger King. For now, she entertains around 277,000 followers with photos, videos, and shenanigans with animals from the sanctuary.
The apprenticeship process is difficult but is Bybee Antle’s ‘girlfriend’?
Rolling Stone has a previous extensive report on Antle and the sanctuary which describes the apprenticeship application at length. To work on the grounds like Bybee, no formal education is required. However, there are many other requirements.
To be eligible for Antle’s apprenticeship, you must be “single and childless.” Along with that, there’s no time off, for any reason, and applicants must be “within 20 pounds of their perfect athletic weight or working to get there, able to do push-ups, pull-ups, and run a 12-minute mile.” They also “must be vegetarian” and “can’t smoke or drink.”
But wait — there’s more. Applicants must also have “watched The Devil Wears Prada and Kill Bill: Volume 2. Then, they must submit a photo. Anyone hired gets food, lodging, cable, internet, and a $100 per week stipend. Employees live in or adjacent to the park to bond with the animals as much as possible.
“If you just work a couple hours and then leave the animals, they don’t see you as family,” Bybee said via Rolling Stone. “There’s a lot of tigers on the preserve that I’ve spent a lot of time with, but the ones I’ve spent the most time with, they know what my golf cart sounds like, they know what my footsteps sound like. They know I’m mom, I’m their life, I’m their freedom, I give them all the gifts.”
Bybee’s actual relationship with Antle straddles the gray area. Antle also still wears a wedding ring from his late wife, according to the outlet.
“I have been fortunate enough to be a lifelong target of the adoration of the opposite sex,” Antle said in that same interview. “Wearing a wedding band keeps some of the honest women at bay.”
Tiger King: Murder, Mayhem, and Madness is on Netflix now.
