Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge has rescued an incredible amount of animals from situations of abuse, neglect, and abandonment since its beginning. The animals that come to call Turpentine Creek home do so anywhere from a few hours to 23 years. Animals that are rescued in incredibly severe conditions may not be able to be saved in any way other than giving them a dignified and humane way to pass on. Those who are able to be helped and healthy can live here for many many years.
The animal who lived at Turpentine Creek the longest before passing away was JoJo. JoJo was a black bear born in January of 1994 in Arkansas. One day in Combs, Arkansas, a family’s dog brought JoJo home. Apparently under the impression she was a puppy, the family wondered for three weeks what type of puppy doesn’t have a tail.
While black bears do not exactly resemble a puppy, this is not the only case where somebody has mistaken a bear cub for a puppy. Black bear cubs are typically born in the months of January and February. They are born while their mothers are hibernating for the winter, weighing less than a pound. The mom will stay with these bears, keeping them warm with her own body heat. At six weeks old, a cub’s eyes and ears will open, and as they continue to grow their fur becomes thicker. As they grow, they start to look more like the black bear cubs we are likely to recognize.
JoJo’s Early Life
Soon enough, they realized JoJo was a black bear and decided to attempt to raise her indoors. As a wild animal, JoJo was not suited for a life indoors, especially one around humans. This quickly became apparent to the family. She would climb all over the cabinets in their home and get into everything. They tried to release her back into the wild, however, she had already become habituated, staying in the area. JoJo would even try to enter the home by tearing into the screen doors. Having a black bear in the immediate area was not ideal for this family and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was called.
JoJo at TCWR
On October 18, 1994, Don Jackson -one of TCWR’s founders- picked up JoJo and brought her to TCWR. She was around 10 months old at this time and weighed an estimate of around 100 pounds. JoJo was the first carnivore TCWR rescued that had been born in the wild rather than in captivity. Despite her habituation, JoJo’s wild roots still showed through her aggressive nature. While she was not the friendliest bear to call Turpentine Creek home, she has an active and playful side and would run around her enclosure.
JoJo lived to be 24 years and 10 months old, and spent 23 years and 3 months at Turpentine Creek, passing away on 1/24/2018. To this day, she is the animal that has spent the longest time at Turpentine Creek.
Visit us to learn about the animals that currently call Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge home, as well as those who have in the past.
https://bearwise.org/january-february-is-birthday-time-for-bears/
https://bear.org/bear-facts/care-of-newborn-cubs/
*Published by Eryn Meeker on 12/27/2025*