YOU Can Make a Difference!
February 20, 2018
There are thousands of animal lovers across the country advocating for big cats today, and you can too! Join Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in our fight to put a stop to the exotic animal trade and help us help them.
At TCWR we are always striving to improve on ways to advocate for the big cats, bears, and other exotic animals who have not been fortunate enough to be rescued by an accredited sanctuary. This month we have a new addition to our website, an advocacy page, which will make it easier than ever to become a voice for the big cats! With an estimated 10-20,000 big cats living in backyards, roadside zoos, circuses, cub petting and breeding operations right now, there is no time to waste! Act now to help end the exploitation and endless suffering of these innocent wild ones!
Click Here To Change Lives Now
It only takes a minute to fill out our form and click to join the thousands of animal advocates across the country lobbying our representatives to pass HR1818 before the end of 2018.
HR1818 will not only protect the rights of these innocent wild ones, but also protect your family from harm. Many big cats are being kept in unsafe cages in homes and backyards across the United States, with injury or death possible for both humans and the animal as a big cat matures.
What will HR1818 do? It will force owners of big cats to register their animals, giving us a true count of how many exist in private ownership across the country. The bill will also end unregulated breeding, which allows the inbreeding currently responsible for many of the genetic defects causing deformities, which can severely impact the animal’s quality of life. In addition, it will put an end to cub petting, or pay-to-play schemes for money where cubs are taken from their mothers at birth, depriving them of proper nutrition to be roughly handled every day of their often-short lives; once their wild natures make them unsafe to handle at less than three months age they are often abandoned or euthanized. Lastly, restricting public interaction will greatly help to reduce the number of injuries and deaths caused by adult big cats.
Why is it vital to pass HR1818? Let these animals’ stories speak for them: Click Here To Learn More
By ending the unregulated breeding and eventually future private ownership, this bill will help put a stop to the exotic animal trade forever.
With just a few simple clicks you can help save lives and end the endless suffering of thousands of big cats and help protect those still in the wild! Together we can do this!
Click Here To Stop The Abuse of Big Cats Nationwide
Blog Written By Stewardship Intern Sandra Ames
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge has opened our hearts and refuge to a new female, white tiger named Payson. Payson was rehomed with us from Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium. The zoo contacted us looking for a new home for the 13-year-old Payson since they have decided to shift focus towards their Amur tiger species survival program.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is not only one of the best big cat rescue facilities in the country, we are also the home of one of the best big cat internships. Our internship program is known worldwide. We have had over 400 interns pass through our program over the past 25 years and those interns are now working in zoos, sanctuaries, and veterinarian facilities around the world.
Turpentine Creek has been making some changes this winter. Late last year, we completed work a new heated building for Goober to spend cold winter days. Shortly after the completion of his building we purchased two more prefab buildings. Those buildings are currently being fixed up to provide large, heated night house dens for our servals and Flip, our coatimundi. We are proud to say that both buildings are only days away from completion!
Both coatimundis and servals are warm-climate animals. We currently provide them with small heated dens but these new buildings will give them larger areas to enjoy during cold days or just days they feel like being inside. The dens will be accessible throughout the year with heating in the winter. There are air vents and windows to provide ventilation and cooler air circulation during the summer.
Winter brings cooler temperatures and shorter days for the residents at Turpentine Creek. Typically, the temperature in Eureka Springs averages in the mid 30’s in December and January, but since New Year’s Eve, we have been experiencing below average temperatures in the teens and single digits. Luckily, the temperature has finally begun to return to normal levels, but for a short time, the big cats at Turpentine Creek got a taste of what some of their cousins in the north experience every year.
Wild animals are adapted to survive the cold and will naturally seek warmer shelter to escape the cold. This is why visitors will see our bobcats, cougars, and tigers during the winter but the bears, leopards, and lions are seen less frequently. The cold weather cats spend their days soaking in the sun and playing in the snow (when we have snow) while the warm weather animals tend to spend the winter cuddled in their warm dens.
The landscape of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is always changing for the better. We continuously put effort into improving the refuge so that our animal residents can have the best lives possible. In 2017, we began building two very large, natural bear habitats that will span over 3.5 acres when they are completed. Over the next few months, these habitats should be completed, and we can move on to new projects. We’ve already received the funds to rebuild our oldest cougar habitat, are currently working to finish up the serval and Flip’s heated night houses, and have plans for more habitat improvements that will be happening throughout the year.
A lot of changes are happening at Turpentine Creek, but our number one priority is always the animals that live at the refuge, this is their home after all. 2018, is already looking to be a fun and active year filled with special events, activities, fundraisers, and most likely a few rescues. Are you ready? We sure are!
We also remind visitors that although the animals LOVE playing in the snow and the cooler weather, as humans we need to dress according to the weather. If it is cold, please wear jackets, gloves, hats, scarves, snow boots, or whatever clothing is appropriate for the weather when you come to visit.