The man of the month made a stop at Turpentine Creek Saturday, wishing visitors and of course all those animals a Merry Christmas!
Santa Claus made his first ever appearance at the wildlife refuge in Eureka Springs.
He was wishing visitors happy holidays and kids of course were happy to see him.
But the lions and tigers might have been a little confused about Jolly Old Saint Nick.
"Some of the cats were in stalk mode and were really not sure what they were seeing so they very cautiously came up to their enclosure. Obviously there was no danger for me, it was interesting just to see them looking at me and trying to figure out what I was," says Santa Claus.
The wildlife refuge is still raising money to house more than a dozen large cats that need rescuing from a Northwest Arkansas tiger sanctuary.
Volunteers say the holidays are a perfect time to help a large cat in need with a donation or just volunteer some time with Turpentine Creek.
