Pahrump man says he plans to get seized tigers back
Apr 04, 2025
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) -- Pahrump man Karl Mitchell spoke out after Nye County authorities seized his tigers.
Mitchell bonded out of jail Wednesday night and is back home. He and his tigers have made 8 News Now headlines for decades.
“I absolutely plan to get the tigers back,” Mitchell said.
Nye County authorities are relocating Mitchell's tigers, including those named Mustafa and Diva, to a sanctuary outside Nevada. He said they are his emotional support animals, helping him through PTSD.
Nye County authorities seize 7 tigers at Karl Mitchell’s Pahrump property
“I've been working with animals of every description for many, many, many years, and I found a significant bond with tigers that was different from lions,” Mitchell said when asked why he chose tigers for emotional support.
Nye county authorities seized the tigers because Mitchell does not have the permits to keep them.
Their investigation into Mitchell was sped up by an eviction dispute. The owner of the land, Roberta Wind, is the niece of the land's deceased former owner, locally known as Ray "Flagman" Mielzynski.
Wind said she'd given Mitchell over a year to move out so she could sell the land and split the money with her siblings, but Mitchell refused to cooperate.
“No one wanted to take a chance because he's got all those tigers and dogs and, and he's just, you know, I didn't want anyone to risk it either,” Wind said.
She said she did not know Nye County's tiger seizure would happen on Wednesday and said the property dispute and Mitchell's tiger permits are separate issues.
In order for Mitchell to get the tigers back, he would need to jump through a number of legal hoops, including signing their ownership to someone with the proper permits in Pahrump. ...read more read less