Sunset paints the landscape in shifting colours at Three Valleys, where proteas bloom like flames across the Eastern Cape’s rolling hills and deep valleys. In our predator sanctuary, a lioness named Judith stretches once more, gazing over the distant plains. Her keen eyes lock on a giraffe below, her ears attuned to the familiar roar of her brothers.

Just over a decade ago, we were dreamers—smiled at by some for betting on uncharted soil and wildlife. Today, every flower and pawprint tells a story of stubborn hope. Can a farm and sanctuary truly change lives—human and wild? Join us in our regular blog to find out!

A Leap of Faith Across Worlds

For Rox, the thunder of racehorses’ hooves gave way to tiger purrs and lion roars in the Eastern Cape. Her introduction to Three Valleys was something of a miracle.

Through our trusted vet (who will feature in a future post), we learned that a visitor from the USA was assisting with training mounted Rhino anti-poaching units nearby. During the chaos of 2021’s Covid period, we were asked for a “small favour” that quickly grew into relocating a larger collection of predators. It was refreshing, in those difficult times, to meet someone whose entire life’s passion focused on wildlife wellbeing. Three Valleys first met Rox properly with the arrival of four lions, and from the start it was clear she did not shy away from hard work or deep care.

Just as proteas bloom from tough soil, and Judith the lioness found her roar after silence, Rox brought expertise that turned chaos into healing.

So what forged a jockey into a big-cat whisperer?

Roots in the Saddle, and expertise in action with wild hearts

A quick web search reveals the story of this remarkable woman. (She would not expect that we located this!) It began in her Tehachapi childhood: pony rides at 3, rodeo queen at 6, hustling track gigs as a teen. There was the adrenaline of the races, partnering with powerful animals—lessons in trust, timing, and grit.

Life was tough for any woman on the racing circuit, but Rox overcame those challenges with the best of them. Around 2015 came a turning point: stints at the famous L.A. Zoo and Disney’s Animal Kingdom gave her hands-on experience with exotics, using positive reinforcement training—no force, just building trust. This mastery of operant conditioning later calmed Shadow’s fears, enriched Ruby’s world, and trained our animal carers at Three Valleys.

Rox is incredibly modest and shares her stories reluctantly, but they are extraordinary: training a rhino without sedation, sensing a horse’s (or tiger’s) determination—parallels to Judith’s patience, Joseph’s recovery, Ruby’s healing, and so much more. With her guidance, we built animal “kingdoms” founded on compassion for every cat in our care.

A Curator in the Crisis – we are rescued!

When Rox first assisted with the lions, she also assessed the work-in-progress enclosure for the incoming Siberian tigress, Ruby. With great respect and experience, she suggested a few key enhancements before Ruby’s arrival.

Her involvement went far beyond advice. Armed with boots, gloves, and a hoe, she helped create “Rox’s Retreat”—the tiger enclosure for Ruby.

Rox stepped right into our Covid rescue efforts: darting and transporting animals to Three Valleys, managing controlled releases and adaptation periods. We fondly recall the behavioural training for Shadow (the ladies’ man!), the hours settling Ruby’s shakes and sore paws until she blossomed into her joyful self, plus guidance on dentals, diets, and enrichments—all amid urgent permits and deadlines.

Rox’s contribution has been immense. From those frantic 2021 relocations, she established our care programme with a lasting legacy: class-leading animal care software, invaluable staff training, and ongoing protocols.

It is a full-circle journey from U.S. racetracks to African plains that we celebrate here. A jockey’s fearless heart now tends broken spirits—not just those of the animals! To us, Rox is a constant reminder of someone who gives everything for what she believes in. Even when she’s back in the USA, we occasionally receive surprise Amazon deliveries—not for us, but for her animals!

As founding curator, Rox helped shape our early rescues and protocols while welcoming a new generation, including cheetahs Karusa and Serapa, and a handful of servals..

A Tapestry of Care

We could weave an entire tapestry from Rox’s time with us: fiery introductions, Judith’s breakthrough roar, marathon dental reconstructions, fundraisers, digging a pool for Ruby, hand-building a deck for the cheetahs, scrubbing the orphaned calf Baby Moo, providing warmth for an abandoned antelope, helping Clarkie the caracal walk again (pushing him in a trolley during recovery), and finally reintroducing him to his enclosure. There was Rox’s guiding hand through the sadness of final acts of kindness when an animal’s quality of life could no longer be sustained, plus launching GoFundMe campaigns for friends in need—and so much more.

Important Note

Only trained animal carers and our veterinarians are permitted to touch or work directly with injured or rescued animals. Rox taught Clarkie to walk properly again after months of recovery from serious injury. At Three Valleys, no petting or touching of animals by visitors is allowed—all animals are kept safely separate.

As sunsets flame over the valleys, so do the human spirits tending the animals. Rox is the perfect glue binding our people and predators, the stitches in the rich tapestry of our lives, and the spirited leader riding ahead for the other animal carers to follow.

Not only the animals but everyone at Three Valleys loves her and her presence. Our honorary ranger, founding curator, and friend for life.

(If you have any questions for Rox, please send them to info@threevalleys.co.za and we will ensure she gets to read them.)