Went there with my family and had a great time. They told us all about each cat and we got to see feeding and training and it was so cool to be so up close. Highly recommend it. So much better than a regular zoo. read more

Absolutely must visit! Friendly and knowledgeable staff. The animals look well nourished. As much as I'd love to set all the tigers free, they actually look to be healthy and happy. An absolute must visit! PS. Raja is the most playful ;) read more

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Yes, believe it or not, there's a wonderful paradise in Tyler, TX that houses some Big Cats. I'm not talking your usual Siamese or Garfield, these cats eat large chunks of raw meat as a snack, and can make one feel quite humbled. This is a really cool place to visit. My mother lives in Michigan but donates to Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge for their cause, which is: "To provide rescue and rehabilitation of big cats that have been abused, neglected or displaced." So when Mom planned a trip to TX to visit me in Austin, she naturally requested a roadtrip to Tyler, TX as the high priority. I emailed the co-founders (Brian & Terri Werner) to inquire about visitations, they were extremely nice, responsive and informative and explained the tour process. They were also looking forward to meeting us as well. After a 4+ hr scenic drive to Tyler we finally reached our destination. I had no idea what to expect, the entrance sort of reminded me of a Jurassic Park scene, but just follow the signs and dirt road to the parking area. We were greeted at the office by a very friendly team of people, you can pay $10 per adult for a guided tour or $56 for the family pass and come back as many times as you want for the year. We get the family pass and Chelsea proceeds to lead us on a guided tour of their grounds. My adrenaline is starting to flow. Wow, it was so cool and exciting to get up and close to some of those tigers and lions, and they even have Michael Jackson's tiger from his Neverland Ranch. Chelsea was so awesome and informative which really heightened the experience, she was very detailed and thorough about each tiger and you could tell she knew her stuff. Every tiger has it's own look and personality, and it was so exciting and fun to watch each of them frolicking in their environment. They are expanding the play areas for the tigers to give them more room and options to play and roam. In the end we got to meet Terri and Brian, who were so nice and appreciative of our support. It's very obvious how much they love these animals as they are treated with plenty of care, love, and respect. I must say it was well worth the drive, my mother was very happy and pleased to see her donations used toward a noble cause, and the staff was excellent, super friendly, and professional. It's a trip I would highly recommend, an experience you will never forget. read more

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Driving towards our destination north of Tyler, we saw the sign, "Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge". I quickly found it on Yelp and read Chris M's fantastic review. Returning the next morning with our friends, we were treated to a 45 minute tour and viewing of all the big cats who reside at the refuge. They are amazing animals, each with a different story of abuse, neglect or displacement, and now, each with a happy life. One of Michael Jackson's tigers, "Thriller", from Neverland is here. We saw him peeking out of his cement bunker but he did not come out. Each cat has a unique personality and some are "friendlier" than others. The refuge houses all varieties of big cats: Bengal, Siberian, Black Asian Leopard, Bobcat, Puma, and African Lion. Many thanks to our tour guide, Brian, who patiently answered our questions and provided us with interesting information on our tour. The refuge operates entirely on donations and plans are in the works to build a veterinary clinic in the future. If you are in the area, take a walk on the wild side and go see the big cats. read more

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I visited here with my friends. The guided tour was great and we got to learn so much. Will go back here for sure :) Great work done by the team. read more

My daughter and I booked the "Treat and Training" tour and are blown away by the experience. The entire sanctuary is very well kept. The animals are well taken care of and are interactive with visitors. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable, our close up experience with Raja, a tiger, will be a long lasting memorable moment. Would definitely recommend!! read more

Was in Tyler Texas on a break from work, and this place was 5 miles up the street from our truck stop. So we decided to take a go at it. The cats were so beautiful. The only down side was that they were under construction so some of the cages were not accessible to see, and we were still charged the full price. We went on a self guided tour only day, which was totally cool, that's what we wanted to do anyway. But if you want there are days where someone will walk you through and tell you about the cats. We were given a booklet that informed us all about the cats that were there which was pretty cool. Some of the cats were 20+ years old! Wasn't too busy, we went on a Monday so it was nice and peaceful and we enjoyed that as well. read more

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Awesome place to visit with the kids. We showed up as soon as they opened on a Sunday (10 am), which we quickly realized was smart because it wasn't crowded and the cats were very active. We got to see Luna, the baby white lion, transported from the nursery room to her cage for the day. She was such a goofball, running all around and performing for everybody watching! We also saw a black leopard come out of his little house, which the handlers said was very rare. He paced back and forth and talked to us for a little while, rubbing his face along the fence and showing his long teeth. There was a big lion named Max pacing around his enclosure when we got there, though not soon after he took a nap. Several beautiful tigers rounded out the bulk of the visit. Some of them were up and moving around, huge and majestic. One even snarled and jumped at us as we stood watching, which gave us a scare! How amazing to see the size and strength of these creatures up close like that. It was awe inspiring. It took us about an hour to get through the whole sanctuary. The price was a little steep--$50 for two adults and one child--but we know the money goes to the animals and that made it worth every penny. read more

A tiger refuge in Texas?? I've had this bookmarked for a while, but it's an 1.5 hour drive from Dallas and a 2 hour drive from Irving. I finally had the opportunity to go on a Saturday in early September, and it wasn't that busy when I got there around 1pm. You park and walk to the "office" to check in and pay the entrance fee of $18/adult. You can request a tour guide, or do a self guided tour (they'll give you a booklet with information on all the cats and also a map of the refuge). I did a self guided tour but would opt for a tour guide the next time around since they can give you more interesting stories on how they ended up with each of the cats. Since it was still pretty hot in September (80+ degrees during the afternoon), all the cats were napping. Some napped out in the open, but most of them were in hiding. I overheard the staff recommending that visitors stop by early mornings or early evenings, since that is when the cats are the most active. Your pass is good for the entire day, so you can come early in the day, leave for lunch and other activities, then come back before they close! Although I wish I saw more of the animals, this was still a fun experience, and I hope to be back. Parking is easy, but they only have a dirt lot. read more

Fourteen years ago in July of 1998 when I was 16, my mom brought me to Tiger Missing Link in Tyler, Tx as a surprise for my birthday. We drove upon a buidling, walked inside and there was Terry with a baby tiger cub, Piffer. Piffer was an indochinese tiger. He was awesome! I was so fortunate to be able to be hands on with him. I remember playing with him on the floor, having to keep a stuffed animal in his mouth to keep him from playfully biting me, because a playful tiger cub nibble would probably draw some blood! When he was hungry, I was able to bottle feed him in my arms. It was surreal. I was mezmerized by this cat. It was a once in a lifetime experience for me, a girl who loves tigers so much! So yesterday, 14 long years later, I brought my mom and my 7 year old son back to where my heart was stolen by a baby tiger cub. The refuge is now called Tiger Creek. When we drove up, I remembered the building I had previously gone into before, but that's not where we were to go that day. We parked and began to walk to the Visitor Center. We passed by where they were building new housing for cats and as I looked to my left I could see huge facilities that had just been finished within the last few years. Wow, how this place had grown! It brought tears to my eyes to think of how many amazing things had gone on to make this place what it is today! When it opened to the public, they had only a few cats. Now they have 42 big cats and 29 of those are tigers! They also have leopards, bobcats and lions. How wonderful! We walked into the Visitor Center and paid for our tour. We asked if Terry was there because we had pictures from my last visit there to show her. She was out of town, but we left some pictures for her to see when she got back. We asked about Piffer and sadly found out that he had passed away in 2009 from a fatty liver disease, uncommon in a tiger that was not overweight. My heart broke a little, but later found out that before he passed away, he and Lexi, a siberian tiger at the facility unkowingly mated and had...Gunther! Gunther was awesome! He had a massive face with piercing eyes and beautiful color. We were able to get a great picture of him, thanks to our wonderful tour guide! Let's talk about our tour guide. Her name was Heather. She's from Kentucky and was interning there for 3 months and this was her last week there. She was excellent. You could tell that she had a passion for these animals. She knew everything about each and every cat. She knew which one was which by their coloring, she knew about their temperments and personalities. She knew where they came from and their back story of how they came to the facility. She knew about each cat that had previously passed away, including Piffer, which is how we found out about his little escapade with Lexi. She loved each and every one of them and it showed by the way she talked about them. She answered every question that my mother asked, and boy, can she ask questions! We were so thankful to have such a wonderful, knowledgeable, passionate intern to teach us about these amazing creatures. Needless to say at this point, we loved it there. We are so thankful there is a facility dedicated to care and love on these big cats. We are excited that they are still building newer, bigger areas to house them. Thanks so much to Terry, staff and interns for your hearts for these magnificant cats. Your hard work and dedication are a clear result of the calling God has placed on your life. Thank you speaking for the most beautiful cats on earth. read more

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My husband and I think this place is wonderful! We had the greatest tour guide who was interning there. She was very knowledgeable and we learned so much from her, in fact I feel like kind of a expert on big cats now!!! The tour fee is only $10 for adults and its tax deductible as a donations!! They have two tigers from Michael Jackson's Neverland ranch and one tiger from the Ringling brothers Barlem and bailey's circus and many more tigers from individual owners that couldn't keep them anymore. There are mostly tigers, however they do have a pride of lions and some pumas, leopards and bobcats. We got to see them do the target training with two of the tigers teaching them to touch targets so that they can give the tigers physical examinations without having to tranquilize the animal. If you are going to visit I would recommend the morning after they are fed, our tour guide said they are more active in the mornings and in the afternoons they sleep a lot. These animals are truly amazing and the people at Tiger Creek are great! I would highly recommend coming here! read more

Be aware, this is a refuge first and a zoo second. I'm writing to say that as a refuge, these folks go a bang-up job. The cats here are very well cared for and show it. Though some have come through hell, they're living the good life now. The staff are nice and knowledgeable and happy to answer questions. You can see these beatiful animals from a very close range, so that you can appreciate them. You also learn about big cat conservation and why large wild cats don't make good pets. It is well worth the drive out to see them and to give them support for their mission, which is to save cats from exploitation and abuse at the hands of the ignorant and the evil. Good on them. read more

My family drove up from the Houston area to see the place I had been supporting for a year or so. We were so impressed wit the facility and the love and care given to these big cats- and a few smaller creatures. We took the guided tour and found our guide to be very knowledgeable as well as entertaining. The people of this organization do an excellent job of caring for these large and cats. I will definitely continue my support, and highly recommend a visit. Carol McD. read more

Granted, I could be a bit biased since I interned out here in the Summer of 06 (and just got back from another trip to visit my human and animal loves after going through severe withdrawals), but this place is definitely a required stop if you are in the area (and even if you're not, you should add it to your to-do list). For an entrance fee, you can go on a 30-45 min tour led by an intern, keeper, or even the park director depending on how busy the day is, and meet all of the cats. There are tigers, lions, bobcats, leopards and cougars, and you'll learn not only about their personal stories (some of which are quite sad, especially Simon's), but also learn some facts and natural history about these cats. The people leading the tours, especially the interns (who work only for room and board), are out there because they love the animals, so you can't ask for better tour guides. You're welcome to stay as long as you'd like, and if you're lucky you might even catch one of the cats posing for your pictures (they tend to be completely ambivalent of whether or not a lens is pointed at them). If it's a nice day out, I'd recommend bringing a picnic lunch, several tables are available and it'll give you a chance to meet some of the other animals running around, namely Buddy (a large fluffy dog-like animal), and Jojo, the fiercest cat of them all. A fully stocked gift shop gives you plenty of options for souvenirs, and more importantly will provide a brochure detailing the plans Tiger Creek has to expand, which include building expansive habitats and developing a visitor's center/museum, and the improvements they've recently made. Considering big cats are so endangered all over the world, it is important to have places like Tiger Creek which can entertain while educating, providing awareness and motivation needed to support conservation efforts. read more

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Kenya & Scrunches, two lionesses - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Tyler, Texas

I absolutely love what these folks do for the animals in their care. Unfortunately, my friend and I decided to go on one of the hottest days of the year. There is pretty much no shade during the tour. Halfway through the tour, I just couldn't deal, and waited for my friend in their gift shop. The shop is nice but small, and there are no chairs (except outside). My advice: Choose a day to go when you won't mind being in the elements. read more

This place is absolutely a hidden gem in Texas. They are doing such a noble thing and the neat part is that you can see about 40 big cats up close that could only be seen by binoculars at most big zoos. The price is not too expensive, about $15 per person but it is all tax deductible. Every bit of what you spend goes towards the animals and with some of these magnificent animals eating 19 lbs of food a day, every little bit helps. If you have a chance to spend a few hours it is definitely worth your time. read more

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Male and female lion at Tiger Creek. - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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Great place to take the family. The kids will love it. It is a little expensive at a cost of $22 plus for entry. Definitely go check the out!! read more

What an incredible treat this trip was! while driving on the highway, we saw a billboard for Tiger Creek and knew we had to check it out! This place is amazing! They rescue and take care of so many big cats from sad situations and they thrive here! For $15, you get a tour of the facility and are within feet of these big cats! it was just beautiful! I'm so glad we stopped!! read more

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Tyler, Texas

A great place to visit and get the history of tigers. The staff is so trained and informed on protocol and have an answer for every question. I went with my step mother, dad, and brother and had an amazing time. Semi costly but a great day trip getaway. read more

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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This was by far the best zoo I've ever been too. My family and I did the VIP tour and it was well worth every cent. The tour guide (I'm so sorry I forgot her name) was awesome. She was extremely knowledgeable and nice. Didn't rush us and answered all our questions. These animals are so well cared for and happy and that is so refreshing to see. The tigers are so happy and make the "happy noises" (chuffing) constantly. I 100 percent recommend this zoo and and the VIP tour. It is well worth the trip! Thank you Tiger Creek for all y'all do to protect and care for these beautiful animals!! Standing ovations to you all read more

We should have probably gotten to this place when they opened, but by the time we got there it was already close to noon. You know what that means. Hot weather. Animals sleeping. Surprisingly there were a few that were roaming around. They typically get fed at 8 a.m. and start they're playing before the sun comes up and after the sun goes down. A fall or spring trip probably would have been better. We did get a chance to see a good deal of them including the white tiger they have there. There are male and female lions and lionesses. There are tigers from all over, Bengal and Siberian. We caught the baby mountain lion before it was put back into the cage. It had just been fed. This is sort of a protected habitat where they bring an animals that can no longer be taken care of by individuals or organizations. They really do have the Animals best interest at heart. They take donations from people as well as organizations who wants to help them in the care of those animals. Truly a noble cause. read more

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary - Community Service/Non-Profit Near Me - Tyler, Texas

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We went here while on vacation for spring break last week. Although, most of the tigers were inside keeping cool, we did get to see a decent handful of lions and tigers. I wish there was an ability to get to see all of them while you're there but we enjoyed it. Also, they have a great sitting area right outside for kids with toys and books and the snow cone truck was a huge hit since we went on such a hot day. read more

I totally underestimated how awesome this was going to be. My wife LOVES tigers so I did some research and found this place. It is about a 1.5 hour drive from Plano but well worth it trust me. It was our 1 year anniversary so I planned this day trip for us and she absolutely loved it and so did I! I was expecting like maybe 4 tigers but it's more like 25 or more plus other cats as well. We did a guided tour with Katherine and she was so nice and informative. She answered all of our questions and taught us things we never knew about tigers. You can tell these cats are very well taken care of by the looks of the place and the body language/playfulness of the tigers. They all have great enclosures and they are building larger enclosures further down on the property that will be finished later this fall. Some of the tigers were sleeping and being lazy because that's what cats do but others were running around, rolling in the grass, pacing up near the fence and chuffing at us saying hello. Ishon was my favorite tiger. He is so massive and handsome. He came up to me at the fence and hung out with me for awhile. He looked me right in the eye a couple times and was chuffing at me. It was such a cool experience. Animal and human spirit communication is no joke. It's like he was saying to me, "eventhough you are 6'5" and huge, I am the big tiger but you can hang out with me for awhile if you like. Who are you and why have you come to visit me." Just when you think you have seen the whole place there are more tigers to see. The staff was so nice to us and you can tell they genuinely care about the animals. We are coming back in the fall to see the new enclosures and say hi to Ishon. Oh and the Puma was my favorite also. Make a day of it and come see Gods awesome creatures you can get way closer than at the zoo. It's positive vibes here rather than at the zoo you will have a good time! read more

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Note that this is NOT a tourist attraction! This is a REFUGE and a PRESERVE. We are privileged to observe these animals in their habitat where they are under the care of compassionate people. They allow us in because they need funds to keep the preserve operating.... MOST of the animals ARE sterilized (according to our guide) but when the facility expands they may breed....just because Tigers are endangered... I want to visit again! read more

Very nice place. My three grown sons and I visited the place today and we took the self-guided tour. The enclosures for the animals are very large in comparison to a zoo. The animals are in incredible health. The place is neat as a pin and the guidebook is very informative. We all loved this place and will come again. read more

A very nice place with a wonderfully cheerful staff but the facility is not exactly setup to be visitor friendly. There is a soda machine at the visitor center/gift shop which was nice. The summer intern that gave us the tour was very nice and knowledgable. read more

The place looks great; the reviews are mostly wonderful, so I am pleased to contribute. However, having read about mating and a new cub born at the refuge premises, I am wondering why your animals have not been sterilized, thus making room for more rescues. Melinda/ Sherman Oaks, Ca. read more

We were pleased with this growing refuge. They are working hard to expand and give the tigers and such more room. You definitely get the vibe that they are more about saving the animals than just putting them on display. The guided tour is nice. My only complaint is that it is hard to get good pics because all of the fences. Don't roll your eyes! I know what you are saying. They are Tigers! But, some places are designed so that you can still get good pics and be safe. read more

Great place for the last 17 years since Terri and Brian Werner founded it and built it and started rescuing cats in need. Terri ran the refuge and took care of the staff and cats all those years. She is a wonderful ambassador for the big cats, especially those in need. And you can even see her on many news interviews and television shows like Animal Planet's "Growing up Tiger". The cats of Tiger Creek are lucky to have Terri Werner. read more

We had a wonderful time at this reserve. It was really neat to see the great rehabilitation and protection facilities that Tiger Creek offers the animals after idiot humans realize that big cats don't make good pets. If you can get Shelby as your guide, do so. She is wonderful and a fount of knowledge! Don't forget to tip your guide! read more

Amazing place to visit and the guided tour is very educational. Great for kids, families, and dates. Easy places to park though it is a bit father than expected from actual Tyler. The group of cats they have is very varied and they are doing Great things in their expansion projects. read more

This place is pretty amazing! It's a refuge and not a zoo, so you won't be spending all day here. The animals are well taken care of and our guide, Kim, was AWESOME! The grounds and animal enclosures are immaculate!! It was 90/92 degrees when we were there and you couldn't smell anything (you know how the zoo tends to get a little smelly in the heat). Very informative and a great cause! read more

What an awesome place! These people take good of care of their tigers and lions. Unfortunately, the majority of the target is in Lyons aren't in any condition to be released back into the wild. read more

My tiger obsessed 5 year old is in love with this place but I'm not as impressed half the cages are empty & I have never shown up at the right time the tigers are usually asleep the whole time.. love that they have a special needs tour for kids on the spectrum we have not done that but it's a cool this it's available read more

"Hidden amongst a dense pine forest, exotic big cats pad across red clay. Regal Siberian tigers and lithe leopards dazzle the eyes with their slinking silhouettes and glossy coats. The Pineywoods might seem like an odd locale to find these creatures, but the cats residing at Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge have happily called Tyler, Texas, their home since 1997. Tigers, lions, bobcats, and many other feline species have been rescued from grievous situations by Tiger Creek employees, and the cats are on display at the sanctuary to educate all animal lovers" - Review by Alia Pappas Read the full review here: http://www.countylinemagazine.com/September-October-2014/Tiger-Creek-Wildlife-Refuge-Offers-Lions-Tigers-andMore-Tigers-Oh-My/ read more

Although we did have a guided tour with admission fees, it was a pretty big letdown to see the condition of the big cats. Cramped into tiny quarters, and most of the cats barely have enough room to stretch. Very disappointed with the facility, and its inability to provide an actual living space for these animals. I've been to multiple big cat sanctuaries. Will not be returning anytime soon. I would definitely recommend checking out In-Sync Exotics, http://www.insyncexotics.com/index.html .Such a wonderful facility with beautiful big cats. You can see the effort and time put in to provide the best captivity living situation for the cats, and sorry to say but tiger creek is on the bottom of my list. Big waste of time for any big cat enthusiast. read more

It has been many years since we visited T.C. the first time, both times we were staying at the state park. They have done marvelous things with the facility, it really shows how much they care for the big cats and other animals they have there in their care. The first time we went all they had was the small inclosures next to the gift shop and now, wow, what a difference. I think it's so great that they are providing that kind of quality of life for these big cats. I look forward to seeing all the newer stuff sometime in the future. Keep up the good work. read more

Amazing place to visit! So many cruel people around the world, it's nice to know Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge is around to save and give well deserved TLC to the beautiful tigers & lions that have been so abused. read more

Tiger Creek is an amazing place. It is so much more about the safety and well-being of the animals and less about the zoo-type "display" experience. Our "tour guide" and animal keeper, Katie, was knowledgeable and so enthusiastic about the cats and her stories were wonderful. She has an obvious passion for caring for these beautiful animals. The grounds were so well kept, the habitats are clean and the new structures they are building as they expand are just awesome. My 7 year old son absolutely fell in love with the bobcat Boudreaux, and the white Bengal tiger with crystal blue eyes, Nishchala. My favorite was Cybil Leopard. She had some attitude! A word of advice - if it is springtime, like it was during our visit, everything is blooming and you'll need to take an antihistamine before your visit if you have seasonal allergies. Absolutely a must visit when you're in the area! read more

We really enjoyed our visit to this wildlife sanctuary, and learned a lot about the big cats that were rescued, many from tragic situations. Friendly staffers took the time to answer our questions and share the histories of these majestic animals. We appreciated the flexibility to go at our own pace, equipped with a detailed guide book, or join an informative guided tour as we wanted to. Great place for all ages to visit and contribute to a very worthwhile cause. read more