As Wildlife Interpreters, we often get a lot of questions or comments here at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge regarding our animals or their care. But there are some facts that can get a little confusing, especially with the internet and social media as unreliable sources. Here are some common assumptions we get that are usually misunderstood.
That we can touch the animals
We are a true GFAS accredited sanctuary where touching the animals is against our policy as they are dangerous wild animals, and we would only touch them if fully sedated and in need of moving and/or medical care.
Bears hibernate
Bears don’t truly hibernate, but they do a sort of half way hibernation known as torpor. Breathing, heart rate, and metabolism slow, but they do still get up to eat and move around a little. They’re not just full on slumbering all winter.
Cats are nocturnal
Cats are actually crepuscular, meaning they are more active at dawn and dusk. They could get up and walk around in the middle of the night, but they sleep 16-21 hours of the day, so some of that is at night as well.
Lions are the biggest cats
Tigers are the biggest of the cat family if you aren’t counting hybrids. Some hybrids end up with gigantism, and the largest cat was a liger weighing around 900lbs. But tigers are the biggest species of cat, usually weighing 250-600lbs depending on their subspecies.
They could be released into the wild
These animals here don’t have the skills to survive or hunt on their own. They’ve been in captivity their whole lives and are too habituated by people. Putting them in the wild would be a death sentence for them. They also have poor genetics. Introducing animals with muddled genetics into the wild would be bad for the wild population of cats.
Cats can see in the dark
Felines may see 6x better than humans do in the dark, but they would also struggle in complete pitch black darkness.
Cats are amazing hunters
While cats are good predators, their hunting skills can be sub-par sometimes. Lions and tigers have a catch rate of 10-20%. Even the world’s most successful feline isn’t catching 100% of what they go for. The black footed cat is the best hunter in the cat family with a catch rate of 60%.
That the cats are lonely in their own habitat
Most wild cats are completely solitary animals in the wild. Females will keep her cubs around her until they’re old enough to go off on their own (usually 1-2 years depending on the species). And of course during mating season, cats will interact with each other, but at any other time, they’re usually on their own. Lions are an exception, as they’re the only truly social cat species. And there are other exceptions, like with cheetahs for example. Sometimes males will form coalitions with each other. But generally speaking, cats are solitary. Sometimes here at Turpentine our animals live with others if they’ve been that way their whole lives, but often there is just one cat per habitat.
Black panthers are a species of animal
Black panther is a nickname given to black jaguars and black leopards. It is not its own species. This may have come about as the big cat family’s Latin name is Panthera.
We do live feeding
We don’t do live feedings here because it would stress out the animals. With most of them being in captivity their whole lives, they don’t have the best hunting skills. It might be difficult for them to catch an animal, and they could end up hurting themselves. There is also the prey animals welfare to consider. Overall, it would be a stressful situation for any animals involved.
Wild cats can be domesticated/ they can be safe if raised since cubhood
Wild animals are just that: wild. They don’t become domesticated, even if they are raised by people. They still rely on their instincts, and they could attack at any moment. It’s not a matter of if they attack, but when.
Come visit us at Turpentine Creek to learn so much more about these amazing predators!
*Published by Sara Edwards on 11/15/2025*