Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary cited with an Official Warning for inadequate veterinary care

B.W. Ferris for Van Zandt Judge campaign photo.

Just days before Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary owner B.W. Ferris announced his candidacy for Van Zandt County Judge, his sanctuary was cited with an Official Warning for failing to provide accurate and timely veterinary care to 11 animals that died.

The Official Warning is based on an April 2021 U.S. Department of Agriculture inspection that yielded three violations of the Animal Welfare Act. The inspector found that numerous animals had suffered and died at Tiger Creek without critically needed veterinary care. The deceased animals included tigers Amir, Greg, Kumari, Sarge, Sierra and Tara; lions Juda, Kenya and Scrunches; a cougar named Coco; and a serval named Dakari.

The USDA report indicates that “all of the deceased animals suffered for weeks, sometimes months, without being examined by a veterinarian.”

At an August inspection, Tiger Creek was cited for filthy tiger pools and for a bobcat cage that was filled with old feces, hair and other debris.

The USDA has now upgraded the April citation to an Official Warning.

The December 9, 2021, Official Warning indicates that if the USDA finds any more violations at Tiger Creek, they could face civil penalties, criminal prosecution, or other sanctions.

Tiger Creek’s attending veterinarian, Dr. Lori Cavitt, is currently under investigation by the Texas Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners for her care of the animals at Tiger Creek.

Tiger Creek remains closed, citing COVID-19, and they have not made a social media post in more than four months. They’re still actively fundraising through email. The emails indicate that for more than a year they’ve been raising funds to obtain three bears.

In December 2021, Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary’s owner, Brian Werner Ferris, announced his candidacy for Van Zandt County Judge. Nowhere in his campaign materials does Ferris mention his ties to the nonprofit Tiger Creek Animal Sanctuary or to the Tiger Creek Safari Resort, a failed business venture that resulted in the loss of more than $160,000 of sanctuary funds.