April 3, 2008

WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. -- A woman who was attacked by two cheetahs over the weekend is back to work this week. She said the incident wasn’t as severe as it initially appeared.

On Saturday, March 29, Judy Berens was giving a demonstration from the inside of the cheetah cage at the Panther Ridge Conservation Center near West Palm Beach.

Visitors to her big cat refuge were learning about the world’s fastest animal when a small boy kicked a ball toward the fenced enclosure.

The cats lunged for the toy, but Berens was between them and the ball.

“Any big cat, when they lose their focus, they will generally jump in on what is the next available thing, and in this case it was me,” she told Meredith Veira on the Today Show.

In a flash, the cats were on top of the 58-year old –- a reaction she says was not surprising.

Refuge volunteers jumped in to her aid, spraying the animals down with water. The felines, which originally came to the refuge from South Africa, backed down almost immediately.

In the few moments of the attack, the cheetahs named Matt and Charley inflicted a number of wounds, about 40 minor punctures on her neck and torso from their sharp nails. Berens suffered deep cuts to her arms as well. Still, she was back to work Monday.

“I’m feeling absolutely OK,” she said.

Berens said regardless of the attack, she won’t stop caring for the cheetahs and 21 other big cats she provides sanctuary for.

“ … if you make a commitment to bring these animals into your life and to work with them, there’s an assumed risk of going in with them and you’re going to every so often have a little altercation or have a moment where things don’t go 100 percent,” she said.

The wildlife conservationist said her rescue is meant to inform people about the power of animals like Matt and Charley -- a fact that was proven over the weekend. She plans to keep a watchful eye on the cheetahs.

“Well, what I’m going to do is keep all my normal protocols in place and just go on a day by day basis re-bonding with these animals,” said Berens. “Yes initially I’m going to be much more vigilant about security but the bonding between me and these animals is what makes this place very special.

To learn more about Judy Berens and the Panther Ridge Conservation Center, visit pantherridgesanctuary.org.

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Matt Van Hoven, Pet Pulse, and Tim Malloy, WPTV contributed to this story.