Barry Janks was afraid his warthogs were going to get stage fright Saturday.
Two days before, Janks, one of two founders of Carson Springs Wildlife Conservation Foundation, was training Wilbert and Winnie to race a course around their enclosed area. But he said he was worried they wouldn’t be able to do it in front of an audience.
"They do it for me," Janks said Thursday. "But we’ll see how they act when there’s a whole bunch of people around."
But, when it came time for the warthog race on Saturday during the foundation’s first animal fair and open house, Wilbert and Winnie performed. About 2,000 attendants interacted with wildlife, said Christine Janks, Barry’s wife and the foundation’s co-founder.
"We hope to grow it into a huge fall event in Gainesville," Christine said.
The couple decided they wanted to host this event to raise money to feed the animals and care for them. The event included multiple enclosures, where the guests learned about each animal, including Sunflower the Bengal tiger and Scarlett the hyena, who is very special to Barry.
"I bottle-raised her the first three months of her life," Barry said. "She can be a little scary when she grabs onto my leg, but she’s a real sweetie."
Christine estimated the event raised about $15,000. Attendants were encouraged to donate an admission fee of $8 for adults, $7 for college students and $5 for children.
The foundation’s animals are fully dependent on donations, and Christy Field, a veterinary medicine graduate student, said she thought it’s a great cause to support.
"These are the kinds of owners that definitely seem to give their animals a lot of space and a lot of shade," Field said. "It demonstrates responsible exotic pet ownership."
Clif Nelson, chef and owner of Paramount Grill, decided to become one of 28 sponsors for the event after meeting the Janks’ and visiting the wildlife conservation.
"I like the cause," Nelson said. "We’ve done benefit dinners at Paramount Grill to help feed them (the animals) because those bad boys eat a lot."
