Exotic Feline Rescue Center

The Exotic Feline Rescue Center (EFRC) is a nonprofit wildlife preserve in Center Point, Indiana, dedicated to the rescue, lifelong care, and public education of exotic and wild cats. Established in 1991, the center occupies more than 200 acres and has been described as one of the largest big-cat rescue facilities in the United States. It provides refuge for animals that are abused, disabled, abandoned, or otherwise unable to live safely in conventional settings. The animals associated with the center include lions, tigers, leopards, cougars or pumas, servals, bobcats, Canada lynx, ocelots, Geoffroy's cats, and Asian leopard cats. EFRC's operating model is sanctuary-based rather than commercial: it does not buy, sell, or breed animals. Its work centers on permanent animal care, enclosure management, veterinary treatment, rehabilitation where appropriate, and public education about the needs and risks of keeping wild cats. An on-site veterinary clinic supports medical care, while educational programming introduces visitors and students to feline biology, behavior, conservation concerns, and responsible animal stewardship. The organization has also supported internships and collaborations with academic and veterinary institutions. Research conducted at the preserve has examined feline rubbing behavior and pheromone deposition, tiger anesthesia and immobilization procedures, ocular health, dental conditions, blood values, and disease-related antibody levels. These projects were intended to improve the safety and quality of care provided to captive wild cats and to contribute information useful to veterinary practice. EFRC has received public attention through books, film, and television. Indiana University Press published Saving the Big Cats in 2006 and Tales From the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in 2016. The center was featured in the 2009 film The Tiger Next Door and in a television documentary that same year. This media exposure helped present the preserve's rescue mission to audiences beyond Indiana. The organization has also faced scrutiny over workplace safety. In June 2013, a tiger attacked a caretaker during cage-cleaning work, causing serious head injuries. A subsequent inspection by Indiana's occupational-safety authorities identified conditions considered hazardous to employees, and the center was fined in November 2013. The incident underscored the operational risks involved in caring for large carnivores and the importance of secure enclosure design, emergency procedures, and staff-safety controls. Despite that episode, the EFRC remains primarily known as a sanctuary and educational organization rather than as a commercial animal enterprise.

The Exotic Feline Rescue Center was established in 1991 in Center Point, Indiana, as a refuge for exotic cats that could not safely remain in abusive, unsuitable, or otherwise unstable circumstances. The preserve developed around a permanent-sanctuary model: animals are given long-term care rather than being bought, sold, or bred for commercial purposes. Its property eventually expanded to more than 200 acres, allowing the organization to maintain multiple large-cat and small-cat enclosures and to operate as a wildlife preserve as well as a rescue facility. The center's animal population has included lions, tigers, leopards, pumas, servals, bobcats, Canada lynx, ocelots, Geoffroy's cats, and an Asian leopard cat. Because many rescued wild felines have medical, behavioral, or safety needs that prevent release, EFRC's principal responsibility is lifelong care. The organization provides enclosure maintenance, feeding, observation, veterinary treatment, and specialized management for animals with different sizes, temperaments, and biological requirements. An on-site clinic supports this work and also reinforces the center's educational mission. Public education became an important part of EFRC's identity. Visitors can learn about the biology and behavior of big cats, the consequences of inappropriate ownership, and the responsibilities associated with captive wildlife care. The center has also offered internships for college students, including opportunities connected with Indiana University and its Center for Integrative Study of Animal Behavior. These programs position the preserve as a site for practical learning as well as animal rescue. EFRC's work has intersected with academic and veterinary research. During 2008 and 2009, researchers associated with Indiana University studied rubbing behavior in lions, tigers, cougars, and leopards, including the possibility that the behavior deposits pheromones. In 2009, veterinarians from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign evaluated tiger immobilization and anesthesia procedures with the goal of improving safety. Veterinary ophthalmologists collected baseline eye measurements, while dental specialists examined the tigers' teeth and provided indicated treatment without charge. Researchers also evaluated blood values and antibody levels relevant to disease monitoring. These projects helped connect sanctuary care with broader efforts to improve clinical knowledge about captive and wild felines. The preserve became the subject of published and filmed material. Indiana University Press released Saving the Big Cats in 2006 and Tales From the Exotic Feline Rescue Center in 2016. The center also appeared in the 2009 film The Tiger Next Door and was the subject of a television documentary that year. These works increased public awareness of the facility and its residents. A serious workplace incident occurred on June 21, 2013, when a tiger mauled a caretaker during cage cleaning. The injured worker, identified in contemporary accounts as a 21-year-old woman, was airlifted to Wishard Memorial Hospital in critical but reportedly non-life-threatening condition. The United States Department of Agriculture investigated shortly afterward, and Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration conducted an inspection. In November 2013, the state agency assessed penalties for knowing and serious violations, citing dangerous workplace conditions. The inspection included concern about a four-to-six-inch gap in an enclosure door and an improvised rebar repair that could prevent the door from functioning properly during an emergency. The event became a significant part of the center's public record because it highlighted the hazards of handling large carnivores and the need for robust staff-protection systems. EFRC's public identity continues to rest on rescue, sanctuary care, education, and cooperation with veterinary and academic specialists. Unlike zoos or commercial animal exhibitors, its stated operating model emphasizes providing permanent homes for displaced exotic felines and discouraging the commercial trade and breeding of such animals.

• 2016

  Tales From the Exotic Feline Rescue Center published

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Indiana University Press published Tales From the Exotic Feline Rescue Center, further documenting the preserve and its residents.

• 2013

  Caretaker injured in tiger attack

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  A tiger attacked a caretaker during enclosure cleaning, leading to regulatory inspections and subsequent workplace-safety penalties.

• 2009

  Veterinary research and media appearances

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Veterinary specialists conducted tiger anesthesia, ophthalmic, dental, and health-related research, while the center appeared in The Tiger Next Door and a television documentary.

• 2008

  Behavioral research began

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Indiana University researchers began a two-year study of rubbing behavior and possible pheromone deposition in several feline species at the center.

• 2006

  Saving the Big Cats published

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  Indiana University Press published Saving the Big Cats, a book focused on the rescue center and its animals.

• 1991

  Rescue center established

  [1]Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org

  The Exotic Feline Rescue Center was established in Center Point, Indiana, to provide refuge and care for exotic felines.

A noncommercial, permanent sanctuary focused on rescuing and caring for exotic felines while educating the public and supporting veterinary and behavioral research.

• Animal welfare service · 1991

  Wildlife sanctuary and rescue care

  EFRC provides permanent refuge for exotic felines that are abused, disabled, homeless, abandoned, or otherwise unable to live safely elsewhere. Its sanctuary model emphasizes lifelong care and explicitly excludes buying, selling, and breeding animals.

• Veterinary care

  Veterinary clinic

  The on-site clinic supports routine and specialized veterinary care for the preserve's animals. The center has also hosted veterinary examinations and research involving anesthesia, eye health, dental care, blood values, and disease-related antibodies.

• Education and visitor experience

  Public education programs

  Educational activities explain exotic-feline biology, behavior, conservation issues, and the responsibilities and risks associated with captive wild animals. The programs help connect the sanctuary's animal-care work with public awareness.

• Training and experiential learning

  Student internships

  EFRC offers internship opportunities for college students. Some placements provide academic credit through Indiana University and are connected with animal-behavior study and practical sanctuary work.

• 2013

  Tiger attack and workplace-safety violations

  A caretaker was seriously injured by a tiger while cleaning an enclosure in June 2013. Subsequent inspections identified enclosure and workplace-safety concerns, including a door gap and an improvised repair that could interfere with emergency operation. Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration imposed penalties in November 2013.

  Source

Read more

• 1991

  Adoption of a permanent noncommercial sanctuary modelStrategy

  Background

  The center was created to provide refuge for exotic felines that could not safely remain in previous environments.

  Action taken

  EFRC operates as a rescue and wildlife preserve and does not buy, sell, or breed animals.

  Aftermath

  The model established the organization's central identity as a permanent-care sanctuary rather than a commercial breeder, dealer, or conventional animal attraction.

  Source

1. 1Exotic Feline Rescue Centeren.wikipedia.org
2. 2Exotic Feline Rescue Center official websiteefrc.org