Bowden - 12/15 Cat Of The Week
Bowden is a male African Serval who was rescued on November 3, 2002. While attending a fundraiser at the Spirit of Saint Louis Airport benefitting Turpentine Creek, a man came up to me and asked if we could take his wild cat. He said," its in the back of my Jeep right now". Tanya was to talk in a moment as the video entertained the guest, so I took the opportunity to visit the man’s wild cat. "I have never seen a cat like this cat", I told the man as he took the pet carrier out of the back of the Jeep. Bowden was only about 8 months old at the time but certainly was wild. He hissed and spit at the carrier door while beating it with his clawless paw over and over.
The man had gotten Bowden for a birthday present from his roommate. They were at the Iowa State Fair and in casual conversation the man mentioned that it may be cool to have a Serval, like the one available for photos. So, remembering that conversation, the man’s roommate bought him one for a gift. Soon after, Bowden was getting in trouble all the time for spraying and fighting. The roommate had a dog and Bowden was starting to traumatize it in the name of fun. This is when the guy was reading about the fundraiser in St. Louis on the internet and decided to show up.
We took Bowden that day and loaded him up. We had to put him in the back seat because the trailer was full. The trip home was filled with excitement. Bowden decided to make "stinkies" so we let him out of the carrier. He jumped on the floorboard and preceded to hiss and spit at me for quite some time. Never biting. After a while we got him back in his clean carrier and arrived at the refuge soon after.
Bowden has been at the refuge since. He has called many cages home. Now he lives in a place that seems to inspire him. He is much happier and "chirps" at me every time I walk by. His future depends on our abilities. Please help us, help them.
Dear Generous Donor:
Happy hoilidays!
We wanted to take this opportunity to thank all of our contributors for their continued help throughout the year. Because we are a non-profit organization, we rely heavily on the donations of our supporters to provide general operating funds and money for specific projects. The general operating funds help us provide a safe, healthy environment for all of our animals, covering the costs of food, vet care, straw bedding, and other essentials. As you know, our habitats are designed to promote healthy animals by giving them a large, clean home. Through this fund, we are also able to acquire enrichment toys that give the animals the mental stimulation they need. Your donation monies also help us provide the proper nutritional diet for the animals that includes not just food but also vitamins and the veterinary care that they require. As you know, our mission is to rescue animals in need from bad conditions and provide them with new homes and proper care. Many animals that come to us are in dire need of veterinary care and have usually come from an environment where they were severely abused or neglected. Since this often includes starvation or poor diet, many rescued animals require costly supplemental diets. Your donations pay for the food, vitamins and health care they so desperately need. We currently have 119 Big Cats, 3 black bear, a monkey and many other residents now and this number continues to grow.
We wanted to contact you at this time to say thanks and to ask for your continued help. Turpentine Creek is dedicated to the rescuing of animals but we need your assistance to continue our work of providing these animals a second chance. We are asking all of our major contributors to donate just $50 today to allow us to help animals like Vada our 18 year old black leopard that came to the refuge in 1994. Vada’s teeth had been chopped off and he had been severely abused before his arrival. Now he is an elderly leopard that has special needs and just recently had to be brought into our vet clinic to stay warm throughout the winter. Because we get calls almost on a daily basis to perform these types of rescues, we desperately need money to provide new homes, food and veterinary care for all of our animal family. Not only is your donation tax deductible, it will also help us give these lost soul the help they need. Our goal is simple-help those who can’t help themselves. Your donation gives us the ability to do just that. Please remember, we receive no government funding of any kind. Generous people like you really make a difference here. Please help in whatever way you can – Our animal family says thanks.Tanya Smith - President and co-founder
Left - Interns getting dinner ready while freezing. Right - staff member, Ivy Cooper gets the cubs fresh water on this 20 degree day.
2009 Calendars On Sale Now
The 2009 TCWR Calendar has arrived hot off the press. The first calendar produced for TCWR was in 1998 with the hopes it would raise funds for building habitats for our furry friends. As you all know we now have 27 habitats which house nearly 80 of our 118 big cats and bears. Until this year the calendar was priced at $20. TCWR set the price at this amount because it is the same as the cost of one foot of habitat fence. Although the cost of fencing has not gone down the price of printing calendars has. We are now able to sell calendars for $10! Here is the deal...Turpentine Creek staff members would love to have twice as many calendars hanging in the homes and businesses of our supporters. This exposure will surely bring more visitors, hence supporters, to the Refuge and together we can build habitats for all the deserving animals in our care. So, please buy a few calendars to give away as well...they make great gifts.
2009 Calendar
Price: $10
Click Here To Purchase 2009 Calendars
2009 "Best Stories Ever Told" CD
The 2009 Edition of the "The Best Stories Ever Told" CD
is ready for order. This CD includes a photo of each
animal at the refuge along with their story. It also has
the animals birthday and date of arrival. The CD sells
for $30 plus $5 shipping and handling. It is in full
color and is formatted much like the plaques on the
animals cages. Please, buy one today! Email scott@turpentinecreek.org with your information. This CD will be offered on our online store soon.
Recurring Giving
Please help grow TCWR's Future. We have an option for you to give on a recurring basis. Each month your donation will come to the refuge and help us maintain and grow. You can give any amount you like; $5, $10 $20 or even $1 each month. Simply click the button below to go to the easy form. "Help Us, Help Them". Scott
