Just how safe is Penzie with a full-grown cheetah, who are known for their hunting prowess and capable of taking down a full-size wildebeest?
“They have been together from an early age, so the chances of her being aggressive is minimal,” Janks explains.
She says she wouldn’t be comfortable placing Penzie with another full-grown cheetah as they could simply bite his head or limbs off in one bite, even if it was just play.
“She’s never tried to bite him, she’s never wounded him except for licking him,” Janks said.
Janks and her husband founded Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation after they both walked away from longtime careers in thoroughbred horse racing.
Her love for cheetahs led the couple to travel to a cheetah foundation in South Africa in 2001, and after an initial tour, not only did her love for the species deepen, but she decided she wanted to adopt a cheetah.
Janks said she spearheaded a program where she brokered a deal with South African farmers to avoid shooting cheetahs who would prey on their livestock, and instead, she would take them into her care.
The 17-hour flight back and forth from mainland U.S. to South Africa took a toll on the couple, leading them to transform their horse racing facility into a wildlife sanctuary and moving operations from the African continent to the U.S.
Today, over 25 different species call the wildlife sanctuary home as guests learn about their stories, and funds raised are directed to further conservation efforts.