Rosie's Story

Rosie was born at the Refuge after we rescued her mother, Priscilla, from Tiger King Park in Oklahoma. In 2021, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) President Tanya Smith coordinated with the Department of Justice (DOJ) and Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance (BCSA) members to facilitate this high-profile rescue of 68 big cats. Ten cats came to the Refuge, including Rosie’s mother, Priscilla. Within days of her arrival, Priscilla gave birth to three cubs: Rosie, Jinx, and D.O.J. All three were born with flexor tendon contracture, a shortening and hardening of the tendons in their legs, leaving them unable to walk. Their diagnosis was the first documented case of this condition in tigers. With euthanasia on the table, our team worked daily over three months to implement the groundbreaking treatment through aggressive physical therapy. TCWR recorded their story and successful treatment in our documentary called “Uncharted.”

Now an adult tigress, Rosie and her brothers have fully recovered. Outside the routine daily rounds of physical therapy, TCWR allowed Priscilla to raise the cubs on her own. As a result, Rosie and her siblings are incredibly aggressive toward people and have personalities that best reflect wild tigers. Rosie is the most elusive of the three, avoiding interacting with most people and being particular about who she does and does not like. Rosie also does not like cameras. She is more active when she thinks people are not watching her, running through her habitat, leaping onto their platform bench, and then continuing to run. Rosie enjoys all enrichment items and is often very curious about her neighbors’ actions.