In the months since the premier of Tiger King, I have found myself inundated with questions regarding my name. Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle is my given name, not some alias as implied by national animal rights groups.

I was born in Phoenix, Arizona and grew up on my parent’s cattle ranch in southern California. My mother was interested in eastern philosophy and chose my Hindu name, Mahamayavi Bhagavan Antle. Because of difficulties with pronunciation, I went by “Kevin” in school.

When I was a young man, I studied Chinese Medicine. My friends started calling me “Doc.” The nickname stuck. Most people now call me by my nickname, “Doc Antle.” That’s all there is to it— Nothing to do with the salacious story told by Tiger King, nor dark implications by Carole Baskin and her animal rights friends bent on destroying my reputation— Just a man with an unusual name. That is all.