Kit Kat came to the refuge in 2000 from a previous owner without proper permits. He is an attention getter in the compound since his arrival. Most of the time he spent his days stalking guest and taking naps.
Last week (sorry it took me so long to get the info to you) Kit Kat got a new home in a beautiful habitat. During the ice storm we lost one of our all time favorite animals, Tigger 2. Most of you would not know Tigger 2 because he lived in a habitat and chose not to make himself visible to the public. He would certainly give lovin' to the staff and interns, but that is about it. He usually could be found near his lockdown sunning. Tigger 2 lived to a very old age and had a great life at the refuge. You know, sometimes the animals like to not be seen by guest. At least they have a choice.
Tigger 2's passing brings opportunity for another cat to live the good life. Kit Kat is the lucky one to move on up! Check out the video of his first steps by simply clicking below.
Eureka Springs Kite Festival At Turpentine Creek is coming soon!
Win this awesome tiger kite!
In Spring, a young man’s fancy turns to thoughts of…kite flying! For those who love the thrill of seeing the unique, the tiny, the great, the colorful and the unexpected take to the air against all odds, the 19th Annual Eureka Springs (AR) Kite Festival on March 28th, 2009 is a must-do day on the calendar.
The event will be held on the grounds of the Turpentine Creek Animal Refuge located on Arkansas Highway 23, 7 miles south of Eureka Springs. This is a perfect family affair where chairs, blankets, and home-made entertainment are encouraged. There will be food and drinks available on the premises.
The sky’s the limit as past participants gather to share stories and show off new and/or champion kites along with those who simply love the feel of launching an honest, old-fashioned, hand-built kite. Cameras are highly recommended. Kites will be flying from 10:00 AM through 4:00 PM. All kites are welcome. For more information, please call KaleidoKites at (479)-253-6596. Click below to check out a video from last year.
We really need your help. If you could donate just $1, $5, $10 each month "Together, We Will Make A Difference". Click the Recurring Donor button and enter the amount you would like to donate.
Most of the debris from the ice storm that hit a few weeks ago is cleared from the habitats. After weeks of battling the mess and welding repairs the habitats are all open. When you come visit you won't notice any thing wrong with the habitats but if you gander into the nearby woods you can certainly still see strong evidence of disaster. As I write I can hear a chainsaw running near the Tree house in hopes it is ready for guest this weekend. The refuge has nearly 500 acres. Most of it remains unreachable except by foot. The trees downed by the storm will slow progress for quite some time, especially when clearing for new habitats.
Since the cubs have returned from K State they have been in close confinement by orders of the veterinarian staff. Today, Mack was able to go back to his enclosure. He is doing fine and just could not stay in confinement. If you come to the Refuge soon you will be able to visit with him. BB King, on the other hand, will have to stay in close confinement for a few more weeks. He is progressing but has much further to go. We are very optimistic about their recovery. You can help with the cost of their vet care and special diet if you like by visiting our website and making a donation.
You can help today by reserving your room now. If you are planning to stay with us this summer you can book your room now and help the refuge when money is scarce. Visit www.turpentinecreek.org today.
Despite predictions of inclement weather conditions, Scott and I headed to Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas with B.B. King and Mack on Sunday, Jan 24. We arrived safely Sunday evening, made sure the cubs were comfortable and got some sleep before our appointment the next day. We arrived at the university early Monday morning and were greeted by Dr. Carpenter (Professor of Zoological Medicine Service), Dr. Marrow (Intern of Zoological Medicine Service) and the three senior students as well as a bevy of other veterinarians, interns, students, anesthesiologists, and radiologists. We spoke to Dr. Carpenter and his associates about the history of the cubs, their condition and they observed both the boys walking. Because B.B.’s condition is worse then Mack’s he was sedated first. He was fully examined and then brought to the radiology department where digital x-rays were taken of his legs and his spine. It was found that he had various fine fractures in his legs and very thin bone density. He was taken back to the trailer to recover from the anesthetic and it was Mack's turn. He went through the same anesthesia, examination and radiographs, which revealed the same type of small fractures and the low bone density as B.B King.
After reviewing all of the testing and discussion with his team Dr. Carpenter diagnosed the cubs with metabolic bone disease. B.B. and Mack were born at the refuge to Tigger G and Ziggy, who appear healthy but because they were rescued we don’t have their full history. It is impossible to determine but there may be a genetic link to their condition. Dietary insufficiency is also a factor, but the refuge has raised cubs in the same manner in the past and this condition has not been an issue. So the true underlying cause is difficult to determine. B. B. and Mack have had digestive problems throughout their short life. When they were young they would drink too fast and aspirate their formula which can cause milk to enter their lungs. When we weaned them to solid food, they continued to eat too quickly and aggressively and would often choke on their food and then regurgitate it. They have also had irregular bowel movements since they were quite young. Because of these problems we did not feel comfortable feeding them boned meat; instead we kept them on a boneless diet and supplemented with a zoologicalvitamin powder, calcium and multi-vitamin tablets as suggested by our vet. Concern about intestinal blockage and choking out-weighed our concern about the calcium levels in their diet, which were found to be in range. The orthopedic surgeon recommended against surgery and Dr. Carpenter and the K. State staff opted for the much less invasive treatment of diet change, a change in vitamins and cage rest. Because we caught this problem early the cubs have been given a good prognosis for healing and the K. State team believes that they will be able to recover.
Their prognosis was positive and we saw a light at the end of the tunnel for B.B. and Mack’s future but the reports of the impending ice storm preparing to pummel Arkansas were worrisome. Dr. Carpenter and the K. State staff offered to keep the cubs at the university over night and we opted to spend the night in Manhattan and begin the trip home in daylight. Tuesday morning we headed back to the University, loaded up the cats, put the bill on a credit card and headed towards the ice storm. The roads in Kansas and Missouri were in pretty good shape and by 5pm we had made it almost to the Missouri/Arkansas border. Darkness was coming quickly and the road conditions were beginning to deteriorate; we had received frantic calls throughout the day about the ice storm hitting the refuge and surrounding area and decided the safest thing was to spend the night where we were, in Jane, MO. By Wednesday morning the storm had cleared, but the treacherous road conditions remained. The cubs needed to get inside the vet clinic so we dodged downed trees, black ice and sagging power lines to get back to the refuge safely. The cubs were transferred into the small cages in the vet clinic with a thick layer of soft hay to cushion their limbs where they will be closely monitored during their recovery and healing time.
A big thank you needs to be expressed to Dr. Carpenter and his team for donating much of their time and keeping the cost of the visit as low as they could. With this in mind the trip still cost around $1500. The diet change that was recommended includes feeding B.B and Mack commercially bought Nebraska Brand carnivore diet which costs about $1.25/lb. Each of the boys are currently eating around 150 lbs each month which will add up to between $125 and $190, but as the cubs continue to grow and eat more this expense will continue to increase. The new vitamins will also be approximately $100. All of these expenses are coming at our slowest time of year financially and any donations that can be made towards the vet bill and food expense are greatly needed and appreciated. Click Below To Help Today.
TC staff and interns will not let this storm prevail any longer. Being mission-driven will insure our success. The power is on and I am writing from the comfort of our warm office. Ahhhhhhhh! For those of you who live close, you know what it is like. We can't access 90% for our property due to fallen trees. We can access all the animals and they are doing fine. We do have amazing people. At the end of the day on Thursday Most all of the habitats were cleared of hazards. We may be able to let all the cats out to play tomorrow. They sure seem anxious, having been locked up in the lockdowns for over a week now. This storm has stolen 3 weeks (an estimate of course) of the Refuge's progress at a time when everything was looking so good. It set us back about $20,000 in total expenses, when everything is taken into consideration. We do our best to be prepared for financial shortcomings during the lean winter months but this is a serious setback. We need your help. Please, donate today. Just click below. Also, if you plan to stay in our lodging book it now. It will help us today.
New Arrival
Before the ice storm we received a young bobcat named Tiger. He is living near Branson, Missouri with a young couple until they realized the threat Tiger was to their two year old daughter. The young, energetic bobcat latched on to the little girl's face! Afterward they were aware of the danger at hand. They contacted TCWR through one of our supporters, Larry Crocker from Omaha, Arkansas. After proper permits were obtained they brought little Tiger to the Refuge. He is cute. Watch the video below. You can click here to watch also.
Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was hit by a devastating storm last week. I just now can go to a library to send a notice to you. Last Tuesday mother nature sent us 3 inches of pure ice. I guess it was our turn. Everything screeched to a halt around 2 pm. Lights out by 3 pm (seven days ago). Our preparation for an emergency was now to be tested. We did have water in our 10,000 gallon tank which gravity fed most toilets, that was nice. More importantly, we were able to use the water to haul it to every animal in buckets three times a day as temperatures fell to single digits. The low temperatures froze our well house and burnt up a $4,100 well. All this is happening when visitors are scarce. This means money is scarce. It may be up to another week before we get electricity. We need generators and other necessities fast.
The animals were all snuggled in their den as trees began to fall all over the place. Every "Crack" you heard sounded like thunder in the night. You could here it everywhere but could not tell what it hit, until morning. This went on for three days. Tanya Smith, TCWR President, was on a four wheeler when ice fell and struck her head. She was not seriously hurt but didn't want to go in the woods either. Several Interns and staff members fell but nobody was seriously hurt. Local Hotels, Eureka Inn Best Western and The 1876 Inn, donated rooms for our people to take showers.
Laurie Vanderwal, 10 year veteran staff zoologist, and I, in the meantime, were fighting our way back to the Refuge from Manhattan, Kansas with the cubs, Mack and BB King. The University was nice and let us leave the cubs at their facility while we waited out the storm. On Tuesday morning we headed for Arkansas. By dark we have made it just to the Arkansas/Missouri border and was forced to stay another night, hoping to be able to follow the snowplows through the mountains. I wish I could post photo's, they are amazing.
This storm has consumed every staff, intern, and volunteer at the Refuge. We are struggling to make sure every animal is fine, and they are, at this point. Clean-up will take months at best. Our trees our all busted up...it looks as if a bomb went off. We have holes through roofs, trees all over habitat fences, and impassable roads. We do have food for everyone.
This is the worst storm I have ever seen. Three feet of snow would have been easier to deal with. The ice was so thick but now is gone. It has been in the fifties and is now drying out. The devastation is just now coming into sight. Please Help. Volunteer or Donate Today. Click Here
Win this awesome tiger kite!