Two white tigers from refuge aren’t in Arkansas anymore

The owner of the Riverglen Tiger Shelter near Mountainburg has given two white tigers to a Kansas conservatory.

Betty Young said the tigers’ new home is Cedar Cove Feline Conservatory and Education Center near Louisburg, Kan., about 20 miles south of Kansas City.

The female Bengal tigers, Sissy, 16, and Ariel, 14, were picked up Friday, according to Cedar Cove’s website, saveoursiberians.org.

At the beginning of November, Young had 34 big cats at the Mountainburg shelter, but she has been looking for homes for most of her animals because of her age and some medical problems. Young, 72, plans to keep fewer than 10 big cats at her shelter. Right now, she has 25.

“We’re getting it down to a level where I can feel comfortable with it,” she said.

Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge near Eureka Springs adopted seven of Riverglen’s big cats, six tigers and a cougar, earlier this month.

Turpentine Creek hasbeen raising money through its Facebook page to build new cages and take more of Riverglen’s cats. But Young said she didn’t want to overburden the Carroll County refuge by asking it to take too many of her animals.

“I’m finding some other homes for the cats,” she said. “I don’t want to swamp Turpentine Creek. It would be better if I find them homes than put the burden on them.”

A message on Turpentine Creek’s website, turpentinecreek.org, states thatYoung and Crawford County Sheriff Ron Brown contacted Turpentine Creek about Young’s situation in October. The website describes Riverglen as being in disrepair during a Nov. 1 visit by Turpentine Creek personnel and the sheriff.

“Dens were allowed to collapse without repair,” the website stated. “The cage construction is unsafe. It is amazing that no big cats were running loose. Safety by the gun of a sheriff is calming on one hand, yet unnerving to need such a presence on the other.”

Young said that’s an exaggeration.

“I know the place doesn’t look beautiful, but it’s not open to the public,” she said. “The cats are fat and happy.”

Brown said he didn’t see any dens in that state of disrepair when he was at Riverglen.

“I don’t think it’s unsafe,” he said Tuesday. “But I would do some things differently.”

Brown said he was referring, in particular, to the gauge of wire used for pens. He said Riverglen’s cages are probably 85 percent to 90 percent in compliance with federal and state regulations, but as a nonprofit “wildlife sanctuary” under Arkansas Code Annotated 29-19-501(3)(a), Riverglen doesn’t have to follow those regulations. It’s up to the sheriff’s office to inspect the facility.

“I’m not worried about an escape,” Brown said. “I’m worried about something happening to [Young], and I’m stuck with 25 tigers that eat 40 pounds of food a day. ... I can barely feed the inmates I’ve got in jail.”

Brown said he began receiving complaints from local residents in September after commercials aired for a National Geographic television show called Animal Intervention in which animal advocate Alison Eastwood visited Riverglen. She is the daughter of actor Clint Eastwood.

Brown said the commercials began appearing around Sept. 1, and the show aired in mid-November.

Neither Tanya Smith nor Scott Smith, president and vice president at Turpentine Creek, returned calls Tuesday. Turpentine Creek has 116 big cats after taking in cats from Riverglen.

Young said Cedar Cove may take two of Riverglen’s leopards. That would leave Riverglen with 23 tigers.

Bettie Jeanne “BJ” Auch, senior curator at Cedar Cove, said the facility will take more big cats from Riverglen if Young offers them.

“We just feel like we want to help,” said Auch, noting that helping Young also helps Cedar Cove.

Cedar Cove now has 11 big cats: eight tigers, two African lions and a leopard, said Auch. The nonprofit conservatory is open to the public on weekends and charges a $5 admission fee. Auch said it’s primarily an educational center.

Tigers can’t be returned to their natural habitat because only about 7 percent of it still exists, Auch said.

The white tigers from Riverglen “will serve as ambassadors for their wild cousins,” she said.

Auch said Sissy and Ariel are doing well at their new home. They’ve been “chuffing,” she said. That’s something between a snort and a low-frequency purr that’s considered a friendly communication among tigers.

“They’re eating fine,” she said. “They’re getting up and walking around, kind of chuffing. They don’t hear Betty’s sing-song voice so we’re trying to mimic it. Usually if a tiger is chuffing it means they’re doing good.”

Northwest Arkansas, Pages 7 on 11/28/2012

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