Big changes are happening at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge. In March, we started construction on Freedom Field. This is a 13 acre plot in which we are building 16 big enclosures and 30 small ones. The big enclosures will be similar to the ones our lions and tigers are currently living in. The small enclosures will be similar to the ones our bobcats and african servals are currently living in. The Big Cat Public Safety Act was passed in December of 2022 by President Biden. Due to this, we want to make sure we have room for more animals to rescue when they need it.
Freedom Field will have an access road that leads up to it. There will also be a paved pathway inside to view the animals habitats. Freedom Field will have the small enclosures up front and the bigger enclosures will be towards the back with a covered pavilion and restrooms in the middle. Additionally, each enclosure will get a pool in their grassy area and some of them will have heated dens. These heated dens are for the animals that don’t do well with the harsh winters we have here in Arkansas. There also will also be trees in their habitats to give them some nice shade from the harsh sun.
Several months ago, Big Cat Rescue in Florida approached us to begin the process of combining their remaining cats with ours. BCR no longer wants to focus on rescues. Instead, they are focusing on the conservation of big cats worldwide. We will bring around 34 cats to our facility from Florida. Those animals will include tigers, bobcats and caracals. All of these animals will live in our new area, Freedom Field, upon completion. The transport of these animals will be made possible through the generosity of donors and supporters of both TCWR and BCR. TCWR is a non-profit organization and relies on donations to continue its mission of providing lifelong care for big cats in need.
If you wish to help us out with this big project of ours please visit our website TCWR’s Capital Campaign | Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge to see how. We encourage you to get to know the BCR cats as they will call Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge home.