Panther Ridge Conservation Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

We visited M’s parents in their beautiful, new home in Wellington, Florida, near West Palm Beach. The highlight of the trip was visiting the Panther Ridge Conservation Center where Judy B., the owner, took us on a tour to meet her seventeen exotic felines – leopards, cheetahs, jaguars, ocelots, cougars, and panthers. Needless to say, Judy is a unique woman: she grew up riding horses before taking in wild cats. She calls them her “babies”: we saw her enter their cages where she fed, played with and groomed them as if they were domestic cats. The felines are healthy and beautiful, happy and well taken-care of in Judy’s home. The tour was also educational: we learned the effects deforestation has on these endangered species and the significance of genetic diversity for keeping the populations robust. But entering the cage of two particularly friendly cats – Duma the Serval and Phoebe the Caracal – and having the opportunity to pet and cuddle them was the best part (apart from licking my sandaled feet so much that they were drenched in saliva!).