Meet Bagheera; The Black Jaguar
Meet Bagheera (pronounced Bah- gear-ah), he is a majestic all black jaguar that was rescued from the Tiger King Park in 2021. He was brought to Turpentine Creek Wildlife Rescue as a witness protection animal while Law Enforcement completed their case on Tiger King.
It was there that he underwent extensive TLC and rehabilitation due to his severe PTSD from his cub life of big cat exploitation and cub petting.
He was fearful of humans, videos and cameras, and was losing his hair.
Most of his cub life was also spent in a small cage with two salty lionesses, where they proceeded to bully poor Bagheera into a corner and not let him live the life he was intended to.
Jaguars are very independent cats, they love to run, jump and play, but also thrive for a life of solitude. Living with two social lionesses was probably one of the worst experiences Bagheera could have endured.
At Turpentine Creek, Bagheera was provided his very own enclosure with the habitat that helped him get back to his roots of being a wild jaguar.
He was given his very own toys (which he takes to his night house every night to sleep), a huge log jungle gym area to run, jump and play, a pool to swim and splash in, and lots of fresh air, sunshine and grass to bask in!
You will find that a lot of this majestic big cat's mannerisms are very close to our domesticated mini house panthers!
WHAT IS POSH AND TIZZY’S ROLE?
We are proud to announce our recent adoption of Bagheera! The money we give will continue to help this cat live the best life he can. He has the unfortunate situation of being too domesticated to be released into the wild, but too wild to be domesticated.
He will continue to receive the food, care, and habitat needed for the rest of his life here in his personal paradise at Turpentine Creek.
- No more parade and carnival acts!
- No more passing around to humans for petting!
- No more fear and rage from mistreatment!
ABOUT TURPENTINE CREEK WILDLIFE RESCUE
Turpentine Creek is nestled in the heart of the Ozark Mountains on over 450 acres of beautiful land. The wildlife there has continuous access to freedom in their very own hand built enclosures. Donations from locals have played a vital role in the success of their rescue, one being firehoses donated from the fire department to create climbing jungle gyms for the cats, and another huge donation of food weekly from local Tyson Chicken factories.
Did you know?
You can spend the night with the wildcats too!
That’s right, there’s even a lodge on the property that can be rented during your visit. The best part? At night you can hear the lions singing!
If you haven’t been to Eureka Springs, Arkansas, we highly recommend you consider a visit!
Turpentine Creek is just outside all the activity, so staying with them would make for an easy commute to anything in Eureka Springs.
Bagheera video as he continues to rebuild trust with humans:
Bagheera enjoying a Tyson Chicken snack:
Learn more about Turpentine Creek here:
❤️,
