They started out as the cute, cuddly kittens you couldn’t resist. They were playful, affectionate and loving. Their fur was plush and the innocent looks on their faces were adorable.
Now as adults, they are no longer someone’s “pet.” They’re ferocious but unable to fend for themselves.
These big cats are helpless in the wild where they belong, explains Tanya Smith, president and founder of Turpentine Creek. They’ll never have the chance to run across the open plains or stalk prey. They’re used to having everything provided to them by their owners.
If released into their natural habitat, they won’t hunt. They won’t search for water, she adds. They will sit. They will wait. And they will starve to death.
The lions and tigers at the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs have no choice. They were raised by owners who domesticated them to the point where things that should be instinctive, hunting, for example, all but disappear.
Most come from breeders or private owners from around the world or as close as northwest Arkansas. Typically, the breeder couldn’t sell them, they were too much of a hassle for their owners or they were threatening in some way.
So they come to Turpentine Creek, where they spend the rest of their lives under the care of a staff of about 22 who work around the clock to provide food, water, medical care and the most comfortable and natural habitat possible.
“Our whole mission is to not have to be here,” Smith said. “We don’t want to have to rescue cats from people’s backyards. We don’t want people to sell exotic animals to the public because this is what you get.”
The nonprofit organization created in May 1992 sits seven miles south of Eureka Springs on Arkansas 23. It houses 114 large cats, six black bears, a badger and even a potbellied pig.
Turpentine Creek exists because of the little-known absence of a federal law prohibiting ownership of wild animals such as tigers, Smith said.
When the owners or breeders don’t want the animals anymore, they either kill the animal or send it to a refuge. Zoos won’t take the animals because of a lack of official genetic background documentation.
Some states have strict laws, while some don’t have any at all. In an effort headed by Turpentine Creek, Arkansas passed a law in early 2005 requiring owners or breeders to have a permit approved by the county sheriff.
“But still, half of the sheriffs probably don’t even know they have this problem,” Smith said. “How would they know if Joe Blow has a tiger in his backyard?”
The problem of normal citizens raising these animals as pets — although little-known and difficult to imagine for many — is very real, said Laurie Vanderwal, a staff zoologist.
“You just want to ask people, ‘What the heck are you doing?”’ Vanderwal said. “These animals are beautiful and amazing, but they’re basically a lethal weapon. It’s like having a loaded gun — it may never go off, but if it does one day, someone is going to be dead.”
Some of the cats are housed in cages in hope they will one day get along well enough with other animals to be moved to any of the numerous on-site habitat areas.
These fenced-in portions of Turpentine Creek are as big as half an acre and typically play home to multiple cats at a time. There are trees, plants and shrubs, and most importantly, lots of open space to run around and live as normal of a life as possible.
“These animals are the missing links,” Vanderwal said. “They can’t go to their natural habitat. We try to give them a home that’s as close to their natural habitat as we can. It’s a sad situation.”
It costs about $1,500 a day to keep the refuge open, Smith said. All of the food is donated, the staff lives onsite, and with an operating budget of just $900,000 a year, there is little money left for expansion, upgrades and staff salaries.
“We’re going to continue to do everything we can to save all the animals we can,” Smith said. “Our mission is to save these beautiful animals from being destroyed and to do everything we can to educate the public that these cats don’t make good pets.”
Information courtesy of Fort Smith Times Record