Species: Tiger (Panthera tigris)
Date of Birth: July 1, 2003
Arrival Date: January 12, 2005
“India arrived at the refuge from a private owner in Harrison, Arkansas. The man had obtained India when she was three months old, and attempted to raise the tiger in his house. India lived in her own room in the house, and was allowed outside on a tie-out when the man was home. When the man was diagnosed with lung cancer, he claimed the year and a half old tiger started to become aggressive.
Realizing he could no longer keep the growing tiger around the house and his young children, he became desperate. Before exploring other options, the man took India deep into the Buffalo National Forest and left her there. We assume she tracked his scent over the 60 mile trek back to his home, because, less than three days later, a very hungry India showed up on the man’s doorstep. The very next day he loaded India into his truck and brought her to Turpentine Creek. India adjusted almost instantly to her new home with a keen curiosity. She is very playful and eager to see new things.” – Original Plaque Biography
Date of Death: December 30, 2016
India spent a lovely 11 years at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge, capturing the hearts of visitors, staff, interns, and volunteers. Her playful and curious nature was prevalent throughout her life, and it was hard not to be taken with her. While her personality was what we knew and appreciated her for at the time, we can also appreciate her legacy. We also can appreciate the changes that were made because of her story.
Before India’s arrival at Turpentine, owning a big cat in Arkansas was as simple as filling out paperwork to get a permit. After that they could go out and buy a cub from an auction, private breeder, or another source. Many people took an interest in owning an exotic animal. Since it was so easy, many people succeeded in bringing home infant big cats.
The beginning of India’s story was incredibly common, and still happens today. People bring wild animals into their home, and enjoy it when it’s small and somewhat manageable. After the wild animal begins to grow into its natural size and demeanor, they then stop enjoying it.
Why can’t captive bred wild animals survive in the wild?
Most animals not native to our ecosystem cannot survive in our ecosystem. Animals from warm climates cannot survive in the same temperatures as animals from cold climates, and vice versa.
Also, animals born and raised in captivity, rely on humans for food and care. They don’t end up having the skills an animal born in the wild has to survive. A captive raised tiger out in the wild might look at a deer and understand that it’s prey. They even might understand that it should try to eat it. However, without practice and training, they can’t usually succeed in hunting for their food.
So how did India survive?
She barely survived this ordeal. After two and a half days of assumedly tracking her owner’s scent 60 miles back to his home, she was tired and starving. As far as we know, she didn’t eat during that time, even though she surely saw prey items. She only knew that her food came from the man that abandoned her. She showed incredible intelligence by finding her way home, and the man luckily reconsidered his decision, brought her to us, and shared her story.
What is her legacy?
The idea of a full grown, hungry tiger wandering around in an area where there’s helpless and unaware people, pets, and essential wildlife resulted in a lot of shock and fear. Unfortunately, this is not the only case where a person kept a big cat as a pet, became overwhelmed, and either allowed it to escape or intentionally released it. India being able to find her way back to the man that dumped her made all the difference, though, in getting the story out there.
TCWR had been making slow progress with animal welfare and ownership laws for years before this incident, but with India’s story, we were able to make that final push and finally make it illegal across the state of Arkansas to buy a big cat and keep a big cat in a person’s home. The state passed this law in 2005, 17 years before Congress enacted the Big Cat Public Safety Act.
So, as we approach the 20 year anniversary of India’s rescue, January 12, 2025, it’s important to remember how suddenly things can change with enough of a push. Public outcry goes a long way in making big changes. We made significant progress when the Big Cat Public Safety Act became federal law in 2022, banning the purchase of big cats in all 50 states. However, federal law still does not protect many other wild animals. It’s unfortunately still a state-by-state issue who owns an animal, and what they do with that animal.
Thanks to India, we made the necessary change. Hopefully, we can continue doing that in honor of her legacy!
*Published by Laynie Rodzon on 1/4/2025*