Tiger sting: 7 big cats seized from Southern Nevada residence

Seven tigers were removed from a Pahrump man’s property on Wednesday, with Nye County authorities citing concerns over the animals’ living conditions as well as permitting issues.

“We did seize 7 tigers this morning in Pahrump at the private residence of Karl Mitchell,” the Nye County Sheriff’s Office said in an emailed statement. “The tigers are being evaluated by a Vet.”

Mitchell, 71, was arrested on a charge of resisting arrest and was booked at the Nye County Detention Center, the Sheriff’s Office said.

The seizure stemmed from Mitchell lacking the correct Special Conditions Animal Permit, as required by county ordinance, sheriff’s officials alleged to the Review-Journal. An arrest report for Mitchell would not probably be available until Thursday, a Sheriff’s Office spokesperson said.

The Sheriff’s Office issued an alert online just after 10:30 a.m. Wednesday that said it was assisting code enforcement and animal services officials in the seizure of the tigers.

Officials did not clarify whether others were arrested, but at least one other person was seen in police custody.

‘He has been in violation’

“Mr. Mitchell has been in the Pahrump Valley for several years and has knowingly had these large cats,” Sheriff Joe McGill told the Pahrump Valley Times newspaper on Wednesday. “Over about the last two years, he has been in violation in that he did not have a permit for having the cats within the county. Code enforcement and Animal Services asked us for our assistance in preparing and serving a search warrant, and we participated with them for the safety of the community and the animals. This started as a result of an eviction.”

McGill didn’t disclose where the tigers will be held, but said all of them were being treated humanely.

“The operation went as smoothly as can be hoped for,” McGill said. “When I left the scene they were in the process of tranquilizing the animals and getting them loaded into transport cages and vehicles. We were able to come into contact with a large animal sanctuary out of state that responded. They actually drove for two days to get here and they are professionals at handling these types of animals.”

‘Some concerns about their living conditions’

One Pahrump resident who is familiar with exotic animals is convicted retired Hollywood Madam Heidi Fleiss, who operates a bird sanctuary on her Pahrump property. Fleiss, who has known Mitchell for many years, said she was willing to pay Mitchell’s bail.

“I don’t see why they would take him into custody,” she said. “It’s not like he’s a violent criminal or anything like that. The whole thing is bizarre. He is a decorated veteran who served in Vietnam. He fought for this country, so putting someone like Karl in custody, I don’t like that because I think it’s nice that he cares about the tigers, and I would like to bail him out of jail.”

In a letter in response to a Review-Journal records request, the Sheriff’s Office said the “condition of the animals seemed good but there were some concerns about their living conditions.”

Reports from the Pahrump Valley Times in recent years have chronicled Mitchell’s battles with local authorities over his tigers.

Contact Casey Harrison at charrison@reviewjournal.com. Follow @Casey_Harrison1 on X or @casey-harrison.bsky.social on Bluesky. Review-Journal Digital Content Producer Tony Garcia and Pahrump Valley Times reporter Selwyn Harris contributed to this report.