Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary

The organization was originally founded as Tiger Missing Link Foundation, an Ohio non-profit corporation by the Werner family in 1995 received its official charter in April of 1996. The purpose of the Foundation was to start documenting tigers in captivity outside of accredited zoos. The first tiger that Werner had acquired participated in the first genetic testing of tigers through the National Institute of Health (NIH) and the results astonished everyone. The tiger turned out to be an Indochinese tiger, a species of tiger that not many zoos even have. This led to the theory that we cannot discard tigers that are being kept in captivity; whether in sanctuaries, small zoos or in private hands, and label them as generic or "junk" tigers. "These captive tigers are more genetically diverse than both wild tigers and those located within the nation's zoos. If we are going to save a species from becoming extinct, we must look at every individual out there that represents that species because every tiger matters" (Brian Werner 1995).

Our passion for tiger conservation has not ended. We continue to network with conservationists, biologists, zoos etc. to help protect and save this endangered species. Since our early days of the first genetic testing of tigers, we continue to push for more genetic testing and work with places like Texas A&M in providing blood samples to further develop the genetic database.

From the beginning, it's been our guiding mission to help animals that have been abused, neglected or displaced. We've established large natural habitats in our Tyler, Texas animal sanctuary for these animals while refining the amenities for our guests.

Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary also actively participates in an endangered animal outreach program. This program focuses on genetic research for threatened and endangered species in the wild