Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge reopening June 1

BECCA MARTIN-BROWN

bmartin@nwadg.com

You think YOU took social distancing seriously? For two full months, from the time Turpentine Creek Wildlife Refuge closed on March 17 until a couple of weeks ago, the resident animal care staff and interns didn’t leave the property outside Eureka Springs.

“The team living on-site decided to completely quarantine,” says Emily McCormack, the nonprofit’s animal curator and intern coordinator. “We [even] had food brought in for us and split it among each other.

“Two weeks ago, the team started to leave the property for essentials only and a drive to the lake or river on days off,” she adds. “Since then, we have been wearing masks at all times around the animals, while preparing their food, preparing medications and all daily duties of animal husbandry.

“For our primate, Goober, we have been wearing masks and gloves the entire time including quarantine,” she goes on. “Goober is a rhesus macaque and will be 34 this October.”

The reason the refuge took the coronavirus so seriously was that not only members of the ape family like Goober but big cats can catch it. Tanya Smith, the nonprofit’s president and daughter of its founders, says she spent several days watching national and state briefings, trying to make a decision on closures after the refuge’s “best January and February in 28 years.”

“Then we got word from a past intern that works at the Bronx Zoo that two of their tigers tested positive for covid-19,” she remembers. “They thought it was brought in by an asymptomatic keeper. We decided that day to close — on March 17 — and see how the virus played out before making any decisions on reopening.”

With extra precautions in place, Turpentine Creek will reopen to visitors June 1.

“We will continue practicing social distancing and wearing masks at all times around the animals,” says McCormack. “Their health and safety is our No. 1 priority. We have changed our guided tours going forward and added some protective barriers where necessary to ensure the animals’ safety as we slowly reopen to the public. A few of the animals have moved to enclosures further away on property for their protection.

“We take the animals’ health very seriously,” McCormack adds. “Due to the tigers and lions contracting the virus at the Bronx Zoo, we are taking all precautions possible to reduce the risk to our animals. We have not had any animals get sick or show any symptoms of the virus. From what we have been told, the cats could present with similar symptoms as humans, including coughing and respiratory distress. Our veterinarian, Dr. Kellyn Sweeley, has prepared an on-site treatment protocol in the event a case arises.”

Masks will be required for everyone ages 3 and up who visits Turpentine Creek, according to a press release, and TCWR will provide masks for those who do not have their own. Regular tours will still be offered seven days a week, but only at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. Each tour will have a maximum of 60 people, and those people will then be broken up into groups of 10. Guides will remain with groups for the entirety of the visit, including in the Discovery Area that is typically an on-your-own walk-through.

“Walk-ins will still be welcome at the refuge, but the only way to guarantee a spot on the desired tour is to reserve tickets ahead of time through a new ticketing system that will be launching on TCWR’s website this week,” says spokesman Ike Weaver. “Those with TCWR memberships will need to call in order to reserve a tour spot.”

Riding tours will be canceled until further notice, including exclusive tours such as Coffee with a Curator and Carnivore Caravan.

While the staff has been working hard to protect the lions, tigers, bears, cougars and others that call Turpentine Creek home, the resident animals seem to have enjoyed their staycation.

“Our animal care team has added so much enrichment, the animals are loving it,” says Smith. “With no visitors and no tours, the team has had more time to work [with] animal residents.

“Some of the big cats seem to miss the humans, and some don’t seem to notice,” she adds. “Each animal has its individual personality. Bam Bam the grizzly bear loves the attention of large crowds. He does seem to want extra attention from our team whenever he can get it. He is a ham. The other bears are all wide awake from their winter slumber and eating like crazy, so they are too busy to notice what we humans are doing. Mostly our animals seem unaffected either way.”

To stay afloat during the closure, “our team has offered virtual tours to the public, put most of our gift shop online [and] made easy downloadable ways for people to adopt or sponsor an animal,” Smith says. “Our board of directors and our longtime supporters, through their donations, have kept us from completely closing our doors forever.

“TCWR will continue to provide important education to you and your families for as long as we can,” she adds. “When we open to the public, things will be a bit different, but we will provide you with a wonderful, educational experience that hopefully you will enjoy. Our major goal is to be able to open and keep our visitors, team and animals safe.”

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FAQ

Turpentine Creek

Wildlife Refuge

WHEN — Tours at 10 a.m., noon and 2 p.m. daily

WHERE — 239 Turpentine Creek Lane, Eureka Springs

COST — Tours, $15-$25; lodging starts at $125 a night

INFO — 253-5841 or turpentinecreek.org

FYI — TCWR is following the Arkansas State Health Department guidelines for the hospitality industry, resulting in a 24-hour unavailability between lodging checkouts. Lodging reservations can be made at tcwr.org/stay-with-us/view-all.