EUREKA SPRINGS, Ark. — Nestled in the Ozark Mountains just outside Eureka Springs is Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. For over thirty years, it has rescued big cats nationwide. The sanctuary recently acquired over thirty cats from Carole Baskin's Big Cat Rescue featured in the Netflix show Tiger King.
Tanya Smith is the Founder of the Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. Founded in 1992, her family sold everything they had to move to Eureka Springs.
"They were in a situation that they felt like they could help and that's what they've always done with animals. So it was just natural that they sell everything they own," Smith said.
Smith claims over 400 biologists, zoologists, and animal care providers have gone through their program since 1997. Current animal curator Emily McCormack previously was an intern but now helps lead their program, having designed their new Freedom Field.
"This isn't just a zoo that's housing animals. This is a place that animals call their forever home that needed to be rescued because they were put into a horrible situation," McCormack said.
The COVID-19 pandemic shut many places down, including the sanctuary. Yet, tigers still took center stage with the Netflix hit Tiger King. It helped shed light on the exotic big cat trade and crisis.
"I've been on over 500 rescues and brought in over 500 animals in that 32 years. And every time I go, it's it's a sad situation," Smith said.
Many privately owned big cats in the U.S. are genetically modified, making it impossible to thrive or survive in the wild. Smith also explains that zoos won't take the "impure" cats giving more need for sanctuaries like there's.
"People don't understand what these animals need in the wild, let alone in a captive situation," McCormack said.
Both McCormack and Smith said the Big Cat Public Safety Act was a game-changer for the sanctuary. The law prohibits private ownership and public contact with big cats.
Carole Baskin, the star of Netflix's Tiger King, was an advocate for the Big Cat Public Safety Act. Last year, she announced she would be closing her Big Cat Rescue citing investing much of their resources into supporting the bill. That's when they reached out to Turpentine Creek for care of their big cats.
Both McCormack and Smith claim that Baskin chose the Arkansas sanctuary because they're the best. The sanctuary helped form the Big Cat Sanctuary Alliance and is accredited by the Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries.
"Probably one of the biggest, fastest expansions that we've ever accomplished in the last 32 years," McCormack said of their latest expansion.
33 animals made the trip from the Florida rescue to Northwest Arkansas. The cats now live in Turpentine Creek's newly built expansion, Freedom Field. It features 13.5 acres with 44 new habitat enclosures. Smith is also working to add cameras viewing the tigers so that anyone can see their big cats.
"You don't realize what these animals go through. Max, while at Big Cat Rescue, had been in the den and they said he was very lazy and they had trouble giving meds to him every day and here he's just flourished," McCormack said.
While taking in Baskin's cats was fast, they say they are ready at a moment's notice.
"Turpentine Creek wants to be there, be ready for when the government calls us and we need to assist on a big cat rescue and Freedom Field is one step that we decided we needed to take to be ready for the next call," McCormack said.
While the days of the Big Cat crisis dwindle, Smith said they always face the issue of funding. To demonstrate the cost of caring for big cats and the sanctuary's efficiency, Smith explained her visit to the Audubon Zoo. She said they'd been looking at building a habitat for a few tigers, which ended up closing $8.7 million.
"It always seems like you're a broken record whenever you're asking for funding... If we can build a habitat for $100,000, just think of what we could do with $8.7 million," Smith said.
If you'd like to support Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge or learn more about their sanctuary, visit their website.
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