When someone is trying to decide which animal to raise as a pet, the usual options include dogs, cats, hamsters, guinea pigs or fish. But one conservationist and environmentalist considers three cheetahs as her family as she raised them since birth after their pregnant mother was rescued from a breeding farm by her family.
According to Metro UK, 21-year-old Kristen Kerr was born at an animal sanctuary in South Africa. Having been around animals all her life, she opted for home-schooling to be close to them and even left her corporate job in Johannesburg to work full-time at the sanctuary.
Currently, she looks after 7 Cheetahs (at an enclosure 30 feet from her home) and other rescued animals like mongooses, giraffes, meerkats, and zebras. She was quoted saying,
“My dad Barry, 54, raises lions and other big cats. he has taught me everything I know.”
Speaking about why she chose this profession, she said, “I hated every day in the office, sitting behind a computer was not for me. I prefer feeding the big cats and getting my hands dirty in the enclosures – I also educate volunteers about the animals and show them exactly how amazing they are.”
She also revealed what her relationship with the Cheetahs is like by adding,
“Half of the time I forget that the cheetahs are wild – I consider them to be more like house cats. It may sound crazy, but I feel like I can talk to the animals but without saying a word. It is all about body language, they read yours as much as you read theirs.”
“I have raised three cheetahs since cubs, and they are like my family – I know they would protect me as much as I protect them. They are totally harmless; I lie on the floor with them and kiss their faces and sometimes even sleep in the enclosure with them.”
Kristen has never been attacked or hurt by any wild animals. She reveals,
“One rule that I stick by is never forcing the animals to be my friend, I show that I am not going to hurt them and slowly getting closer every day to gain their trust. It usually takes a month to build their trust but if I ever overstep the mark, the cheetah jumps up and slaps his paws on the ground which means that is enough.”
She truly is a ‘cheetah whisperer’, don’t you think?