Former Hot Springs resident Tanya Smith has a special place in her heart and near her home for abused and neglected big cats, the president and founder of Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge told Hot Springs National Park Rotary Club last week.
Smith's family founded the wildlife rescue in Eureka Springs in 1992, and it has rescued more than 500 animals, according to a video she shared during the club's weekly luncheon on Wednesday at the DoubleTree by Hilton Hot Springs.
"Right now at the refuge, we feed about 600 pounds of raw meat daily," Smith said, noting the organization houses more than just big cats.
"Tyson Foods has been a great partner with us for the last 32 years, which is just amazing to have a partner like that whenever you have a lot of carnivores that you have to make sure they're fed. You don't want these animals hungry at all.
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"The big cats eat anywhere from 8 to 15 pounds of raw meat a day. The bears, that's a whole different story because they're omnivores. We have eight bears right now, and they eat produce and fruits and vegetables, and they also get meat and the protein that we have to feed. They even get a fun bear dish."
The bears get treats like popcorn and peanut butter sandwiches, but Smith said they have to hide their food to make them hunt.
"With the bears, we have to scatter feed them because bears are real lazy," she said. "(It isn't healthy) if you don't make them actually go and hunt for their own food, which they're not really doing at the sanctuary. We'll scatter feed all the bears in different locations, so they actually have to get in full positions, standing, sitting, on all fours. That's really important because their spines kind of wear out if they don't get up and get around."
Smith said running the refuge is expensive, costing around $4.5 million annually.
"Just the food bill itself (is expensive), even if you're getting donated food. We have about a $4,000-a-month freezer bill to hold that free food. Then we also have to buy a lot of specialized diets on top of that. We're also funded through being open to the public," she said, noting those funds help with general care, employee salaries, "all the different things."
While the Netflix show "Tiger King" became intensely popular during the COVID-19 pandemic, Smith said Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge is not like that.
"From a sanctuary standpoint, we don't breed, buy or sell animals," she said. "That's our model. It's strictly rescue. It's all we do, and a true sanctuary won't do those other activities because you're just adding to the problem."
As a "lifetime refuge," the organization commits to take care of its animals for the remainder of their lives.
"A normal long life for a big cat would be eight to 10 years," Smith said. "Well, in captivity at our place, we just had one pass at one week shy of 25, so it's like an over 100-year-old person. Many of our cats live to be 18 to 22, 23, and it's just because of the quality care they get.
"I mean, we have a veterinarian on-site. They're checked every day. If they're not eating or pooping in three days, you know that there's something wrong. There's people's eyes on them every day to make sure their areas are cleaned every day."