A Day’s Drive: Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge.
by Meredith July 5, 2012
If you’re looking for a great place to take your family for a day trip, consider Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge in Eureka Springs. Home to over 100 big cats, a few bears, and even a badger, this refuge is open to visitors seven days a week, allowing guests a chance to see these majestic creatures up close.
Once bred for pets or as part of the underground exotic animal trade, the animals that come to the refuge have all been rescued from situations of abuse or neglect . Once the animals are taken in, they are never sold or bred and live out the rest of their lives on the refuge, cared for by a well-trained staff. The organization’s ultimate goal is to house all animals in natural habitats. Already many of the cats live in natural habitat enclosures ranging in size from 8,000 sq. ft. to 20,000 sq. ft, and more enclosures are being built. To learn more about how the refuge was founded go here.
If you want to make your visit and overnight stay, you can rent rooms on site, allowing you to drift off to sleep and awake to the sounds of these big cats! For more information on renting rooms go here. And if you’re interested in learning more about how to get involved at the refuge, learn more about internship opportunities, wildlife photography workshops and more by clicking here.
Have you been to the refuge? We’d love to hear all about it!
