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On The Move

Moving Big Cats

June 6, 2017

Our big cats are on the move! Ok, only a few of them are, but there are some location changes happening at Turpentine Creek. We move animals for various reasons from old age, to allowing animals extra space, moving animals can be difficult but it is always done with the animal’s best interest in mind. Changing habitats can be a very enriching experience for the animals. New sights, neighbors, and smells give our animals a whole new experience in life.

Since we are located in the beautiful Ozark Mountains, not all of our property is flat land. As our animals age, it can get more difficult for them to navigate the inclines and declines of our landscape. Luckily, we have some land that is more level and easier for our older animals to enjoy. Rescue Ridge may have started out as a way to quickly rescue dozens of animals in need, but it has quickly found a secondary use, a place for our older animals to go so they can rest their weary bones and enjoy the remainder of their lives in the peace and tranquility of the Ozarks.

Recently, we needed to move Styx and Bombay down to Rescue Ridge. These two senior cats were in need of some flat, level land to enjoy. With their move to Rescue Ridge, it opened up space so that we could move Thurston and Amber to their own habitat. Before the move, they were alternating days in a habitat with Donner and Roman, white tiger brothers who also came to us from Colorado.

Because of this shift, all six cats (Styx, Bombay, Amber, Thurston, Donner, and Roman) spend every single day out in their new habitats. We have also moved a few other animals over the last few weeks. These moves were not because of elderly animals, but to make it so that our animals could be out in habitats more often.

Tsavo, one of our most vocal and popular lions, was recently moved to a habitat on the tour loop. We decided to move Tsavo to his new habitat so that Tsavo, and his tiger trio neighbors Chuff, Abigail, and Athena could spend every day out in a spacious habitat.

Change can be a good thing, simple moves might mean visiting a different part of the refuge to see your favorite cat (or bear) but for the animal, it is the best thing we could possibly do. So, stop in soon to see your favorite animals and watch them enjoy their new homes.

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