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Through public education we work to end the Exotic Animal Trade, making sanctuaries like Turpentine Creek no longer necessary; together, we can preserve and protect these magnificent predators in the wild for our children's future.
In 1978, Don and Hilda Jackson — inspired by a lion cub named Bum, acquired as payment on a debt — began what would become a lifelong mission. They built an enclosure in their backyard, took in a second lion named Sheila, and quietly started doing the work that needed to be done.
Everything changed in 1991 when a woman named Catherine Twiss appeared at their door. A notorious breeder fleeing the law, she had 42 lions, tigers, and cougars crammed into three cattle cars on a nearby farm. The Jacksons couldn't turn away. Almost overnight, they relocated every animal to a 460-acre ranch in the Ozark hills — and Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge was born.
As word spread, so did the calls — from private owners across the country, each with stories of neglect, abuse, and abandonment. Don and Hilda sold everything they had, bought the ranch, and never looked back.
As a living museum, we prioritize educating to public on the exotic pet trade, wildlife conservation, animal welfare, and animal husbandry. TCWR is evolving how we educate today's youth with in-classroom visits and onsite programming through interpretive learning.
We rescue survivors of the Exotic Animal Trade with a focus on big cats and bear, providing them a safe lifelong home with exceptional diets and proper care, while working to preserve endangered species in the wild through public education and advocacy.
We believe big cats are predators, not pets or entertainment for the masses. They and other exotic and native wildlife deserve to live out their lives with dignity, allowed to be the wild animals they instinctually are. We will continue to be their voice, both for those forced to live in captivity and those struggling for survival in the wild.
We rescue survivors of the Exotic Animal Trade with a focus on big cats and bear, providing them a safe lifelong home with exceptional diets and proper care, while preserving endangered species.
Rescue StoriesWe believe big cats are predators, not pets or entertainment for the masses. Exotic and native wildlife deserve to live out their lives with dignity, allowed to be the wild animals they instinctually are.
How We CareThe Big Cat Public Safety Act makes it illegal to buy, sell, trade, transport across state lines without permits, privately own, or allow the public to have hands-on interaction with prohibited types of big cats.
More About the BCPSA