Draft:Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary

Draft article not currently submitted for review.

This is a draft Articles for creation (AfC) submission. It is not currently pending review. While there are no deadlines, abandoned drafts may be deleted after six months. To edit the draft click on the "Edit" tab at the top of the window.

To be accepted, a draft should:

Show the subject qualifies for a Wikipedia article by using multiple sources that meet four criteria. The sources should be (1) reliable (2) secondary (3) independent of the subject (4) talk about the subject in some depth. For some topics, there are alternative criteria.
Be written from a neutral point of view
Respect copyright and do not plagiarize. Do not copy-paste.

It is strongly discouraged to write about yourself, your business or employer. If you do so, you must declare it.

Where to get help

If you need help editing or submitting your draft, please ask us a question at the AfC Help Desk or get live help from experienced editors. These venues are only for help with editing and the submission process, not to get reviews.
If you need feedback on your draft, or if the review is taking a lot of time, you can try asking for help on the talk page of a relevant WikiProject. Some WikiProjects are more active than others so a speedy reply is not guaranteed.

How to improve a draft

Wikipedia:Contributing to Wikipedia – a basic overview on how to edit Wikipedia.
Help:Wikitext – how to use the markup
Help:Referencing for beginners – how to include references
Wikipedia:Article development – how to develop your article
Wikipedia:Writing better articles – how to improve your article
Wikipedia:Verifiability – make sure your article includes reliable third-party sources

You can also browse Wikipedia:Featured articles and Wikipedia:Good articles to find examples of Wikipedia's best writing on topics similar to your proposed article.

Improving your odds of a speedy review

To improve your odds of a faster review, tag your draft with relevant WikiProject tags using the button below. This will let reviewers know a new draft has been submitted in their area of interest. For instance, if you wrote about a female astronomer, you would want to add the Biography, Astronomy, and Women scientists tags.

Add tags to your draft

Editor resources

Easy tools: Citation bot (help) | Advanced: Fix bare URLs

Last edited by Qwerfjkl (bot) (talk | contribs) 33 days ago. (Update)

Submit the draft for review!

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary is a non-profit wildlife sanctuary located in Tyler, Texas, United States. Founded in 1995, it specializes in the rescue, rehabilitation, and care of big cats and native wildlife, and offers educational programs and internship opportunities.

History

Tiger Creek was originally established in 1995 as the Tiger Missing Link Foundation in Ohio. Its mission was to document captive tigers outside of accredited zoos. Early genetic testing revealed a rare Indochinese tiger, highlighting the conservation value of non-zoo tigers. In 1997, the sanctuary relocated to East Texas and became Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge. It was later renamed Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary in 2017 to reflect a broader commitment to endangered and threatened species beyond just big cats.

Mission and Operations

The sanctuary operates under the motto "Saving Animals One by One." Tiger Creek provides a safe and natural habitat for over 75 rescued big cats and has assisted more than 1,200 animals in need. It has hosted over 25,000 educational tours and trained more than 150 future animal care professionals through its internship program.

Facilities and Accreditation

The sanctuary spans over 100 acres, with 9.6 acres dedicated to animal habitats, surrounded by dual-perimeter fencing and innovative safety features. In August 2024, Tiger Creek underwent a comprehensive third-party audit as part of the AZA Pathway to Membership program. The audit praised the sanctuary’s animal care, safety infrastructure, enrichment programs, and veterinary services. A follow-up inspection is planned for spring 2025.

Education and Internships

Tiger Creek runs a structured 90-day internship program that provides hands-on experience in zoological care, animal enrichment, and public education. Interns work with a variety of exotic feline species, such as tigers, lions, servals, and bobcats, as well as native wildlife. The sanctuary emphasizes safety and prohibits direct contact with big cats.

Legal and Public Allegations

In 2023, Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary was the subject of a lawsuit and public allegations initiated by the Animal Legal Defense Fund (ALDF) and former employees. The claims, which suggested deficiencies in animal care, were strongly denied by the sanctuary. In response, Tiger Creek published a detailed statement addressing each case and reaffirming its adherence to veterinary best practices, USDA standards, and internal oversight protocols.

The sanctuary acknowledged a single USDA citation in its history, which occurred prior to 2021 and was resolved through staff retraining and policy improvements. As of 2024, the sanctuary has successfully passed third-party inspections and continues to operate under state and federal compliance.

References

"About Us". Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary. Retrieved 2025-06-11.

"Tiger Creek Achieves Outstanding First Inspection Results". EINPresswire. 2024-09-13. Retrieved 2025-06-12.

"Pathway to Membership Participants" (PDF). Association of Zoos and Aquariums. Retrieved 2025-06-11.

"Internship Program". Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary. Retrieved 2025-06-11.

External links

Official website

Instagram profile