History of Tiger Missing Link Foundation (TMLF) TIGER LINK TIMELINE 1995 Tiger Link, as it is known by many, was created in Texas on September 3 1995. Tiger Link went on-line with only 6 pages on the internet in December 1995. During that year, founder Brian Werner traveled across the United States with his founding tiger, Sinclair, presenting educational programs to raise awareness about the need for genetic testing and the proper management of captive tigers. Werner ended this initial crusade in Ohio, where Tiger Missing Link Foundation was chartered on April 16, 1996. Rare tiger subspecies uncovered in captivity During a routine physical, blood samples drawn from Sinclair (pictured left) were forwarded to the National Cancer Institute for genetic comparisons in a research project.  Several zoo tigers from around the world were involved in this study.  Tiger Link was the only new agency participating in what served as the first DNA study of tigers ever to have been conducted. The consensus among zoological experts was that Sinclair would surely test out as a generic tiger.  Tigers are divided into eight subspecies.  Anytime that two subspecies of tigers are crossbred, they produce what is referred to as a mixed breed or "Generic Tiger."  Many zoological biologists have the opinion that, first, to have any value to captive management, a tiger must posses a genealogical background that traces it back to a point of natural origin indicating a specific subspecies; and second, that ALL tigers living outside of a zoo environment in captivity are imperfect or "Generic."  This belief prevails despite the fact that little formal DNA testing has ever been performed on the tigers living inside or outside of zoos. 1996 - 1997 Werner moved back to Texas and took possession of Sammy (brother to Sinclair. pictured left). Results from Sinclair’s DNA test from the National Cancer Institute indicated that he was purebred and was most closely identified as an Indochinese Tiger. Indochinese Tigers (Panthera tigris corbetti) are very rare in captivity.  At the time of testing, the zoological community could only identify five Indochinese tigers in their care who were unrelated.  The find is controversial, and many in the zoological community continue to debate the results from the National Cancer Institute findings. Coming To The Rescue Of Tigers And Other Big Cats After making the trip back to Texas and moving back onto a 25 acre tract of land, Werner met Terri Block.  The newly formed partnership led to the development of the Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge near Tyler, Texas (1997).  Tiger Creek is a division of Tiger Link and provides rescue services for big cats.  The primary focus of the foundation and the wildlife refuge is about tigers, but it also provides a home to other big cats like lions and cougars as cage space permits. 1998 Tiger Link established a working relationship with geneticist Dr. Christian Zwieb at the University of Texas Health Center in Tyler, Texas.  Dr. Zwieb, along with other scientists, recognized the validity of rational genetic philosophy and agreed to perform future DNA testing for Tiger Link. The testing of Sinclair and the other tigers in the National Cancer Institute study set the framework for future DNA testing of tigers.  Tiger Link Foundation has collected numerous samples of tigers from both the wild and captive populations, zoo animals included.  The master plan of Tiger Link intends to set up a specialized testing site to continue working in tiger genetics, research, and captive conservation issues. 1999 Throughout 1999 and 2000, Tiger Link made national and international news with its efforts in stewardship through Tiger Creek Wildlife Refuge.  Over twelve million households per year were reached by such platforms as The Washington Post, People Magazine, The Chicago Tribune, The Los Angeles Times The New York Times, and "Paul Harvey’s Talk Radio."  Television programs that covered Tiger Link included "The Early Show," "Inside Edition," "Good Morning America," A & E's Investigative Reports Series, "The Today Show," and "CNN Headline News."  Tiger Link has further made contributions to international platforms such as Riding the Tiger (Cambridge University Press, London); News of the World (London); The Dutch News Network (Holland & Germany), and Animals Animals Animals (United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand & South Africa). 2000 In December, Tiger Link worked in conjunction with Texas A & M University and Texas Children’s Hospital to perform the first open-heart surgery on a tiger cub named Karma (pictured left just after surgery).  This surgery was an attempt to save the young cub’s life from complications caused by genetic traits acquired from inbreeding.  The bypass surgery was carried out to correct the congenital heart defect, Tetralogy of Fallot.  The tiger cub, Karma, his sister, Kali, and his mother, Katrina, were all rescued from a backyard breeder in Kansas.   During the rescue efforts Werner, was quoted as saying, “This is the first time that I have ever had to try to save a tiger twice,” referring to the initial removal of the cats from Kansas and then to the complications Karma experienced during the life-saving surgery they attempted to perform on him. 2001 By 2001 Tiger Link's animal population had grown to over 23 big cats, and the organization is gaining approximately 1,500 new contributors each month. TMLF also joined Great Cats in Crisis, a federation involving 5 additional non-profit agencies that specialize in helping big cats. The federation works to share resources and assist big cats on a international level. 2002 - 2006 and Beyond- Tiger Link relocated the national headquarters from Ohio to Washington D.C. with 5 board members, numerous volunteers, and over 15,000 members worldwide.  The organization has offices in Ohio (education office) and Texas (field office) as well. Tiger Missing Link Foundation is the Missing Link to Saving the Tiger and is doing it by “Saving Tigers One By One.”       Next Section (Tiger Genetics) --> Copyright © 2002 Tiger Missing Link Foundation. All rights reserved. TEXT MENU