Rogers-Lowell Area News

Elect “Refuge Royalty” at Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge for Tiger Day

In honor of July 29’s Tiger Day, Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge (TCWR) is asking the public to help them elect two tigers to serve as “Tiger King” and “Tiger Queen” through their “Refuge Royalty” competition that also supports fundraising efforts towards their new well and water system.

All 47 of the Refuge’s tigers can be found at gogophotocontest.com/TurpentineCreekWildlifeRefuge. It costs $1 to place a vote and participants can vote as many times as they wish for as many different animals as they desire.

The competition ends July 28 at 11:59 PM CST. The winning tigers will receive special enrichment and have the honor of symbolizing progress on TCWR’s updated hydration network.

TCWR has been in the process of fundraising $150,000 for their new well and water system. Their initial goal is to raise $40,000 to fulfill a matching donation by a private donor, which would bring their total to $80,000. Until the match if fulfilled, all donations, including those made to the contest, will be doubled by the donor. TCWR hopes to raise at least $20,000 through the Refuge Royalty election.

According to earlier statements made by the organization, updating their water source is vital for the continued growth of the Refuge. They have reached capacity for the number of animals they can adequately provide fresh, clean water for. They also cannot move forward with their new Visitor Education Center until a system that can sustain proper water pressure for more guests is created.

“We have finally reached a spot in our existence where we have nowhere to go but up. It’s exciting but also costly. It’s amazing that we’re finally here, finally out of room, and finally in a place to grow and help more animals, but we can’t do it without you,” said TCWR President, Tanya Smith. “I know it sounds ambitious, but we really feel this new water system is going to help us conquer the Exotic Pet Trade once and for all. We’ll be able to take in more animals and educate more people- this is the first step towards a better future.”

To learn more about TCWR’s new well, please visit tcwr.org/well. To support your favorite tigers in the Refuge Royalty competition, vote at gogophotocontest.com/TurpentineCreekWildlifeRefuge.