Panther Ridge founder Judy Berens and Charlie the cheetah with Sadie Ryan, Alli Zimmerman, Traci Byron and Christine Williams.
Nonprofit Aims To Save Big Cats From Extinction Story and Photos by Julie Unger
The Panther Ridge Conservation Center, located in the Palm Beach Point community, is a special place — and also one of Wellington’s most unique nonprofit organizations. Panther Ridge, founded in 1999 by Judy Berens, is a place where you can come face-to-face with a black leopard or a clouded leopard, or perhaps a jaguar or cougar. The common thread between these
animals is that they are all exotic cats with dwindling numbers in the wild. “We have eight species, and certainly two of them will be gone from the wild in 20 years, it’s predicted,” Berens said. Originally, she founded Panther Ridge as a rescue facility for exotic large cats in need. “But now, it has evolved to become an education mission to help people understand the threats against wildlife
that exist in the world today — and the fact that many of the species that are housed at Panther Ridge will be extinct within their range habitats within the next 20 years, if not sooner,” Berens said. It costs approximately $150,000 a year to care for the animals, and the costs quickly add up, between food, vitamins, medicines, habitats and, of course, enrichment and toys. wellington the magazine | september 2017
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