Welcome to Jennie of the Jungle!

There is a motion on the 2020 Colorado ballot to allow the reintroduction of gray wolves to the state of Colorado. This is an exciting opportunity for animal lovers and conservationists alike. And though the subject is a much-debated one, here is my reasoning for voting for this initiative... The Science: In a perfectly balanced world, all ecosystems are self-sustainable. This means that vegetation is lush and abundant, providing food and shelter for prey and other animals alike, while top predators keep prey animals (herbivores) in check, so that they don't decimate the vegetation. It's a perfect circle, and can naturally remain in balance until something comes along and upsets part of it. For example, humans killing off all of the top predators. Wolves, mountain lions and grizzly bears are the top predators of Colorado (although wolves and grizzlies have been extirpated by hunters since the 1950's). They hunt prey that are larger than themselves, such as elk and moo...

On February 13, 2020 Red Panda Network published the following article about our upcoming trip to Nepal to trek through the lower Himalayas and search for the red panda in the wild. Jennie of the Jungle and RPN are teaming up to provide a Himalayan adventure with global significance. Red Pandas. Travel. Conservation. Community. Can you imagine finding all of those in one experience? That’s exactly what I knew I’d discovered when I first heard of Red Panda Network (RPN) and Jennie of the Jungle’s new partner trip kicking off in October 2020!  It’s inspiring and positive in a world often full of disjoined negativity. So I’m literally counting my vacation days to see if I can join.  RPN ecotrips are specially designed to educate about red pandas; to create tailored experiences for viewing this endangered species while preserving their habitat and to cultivate a small community of travelers immersed in local people and culture. Yet, what about the global perspec...

I drove 3 hours down to Guffey, Colorado the other day to visit the rescued wolves at Rocky Mountain Wildlife Foundation. I had been wanting to visit them for a long time, and finally found some time to do it right after New Year's. The sun was shining and the day was clear, despite the wintry weather, and I had the wolves all to myself! Mark, the founder of RMWF, told me a little bit about the wolves under his care, which for the most part were rescued from abusive pet owners who had bitten off a little more than they could chew with trying to raise a wolf. Some of the wolves were wolf-dog mixes, and some of them were 100% wolf. I got to get up close and personal with some of these wolves, and they were full of pure love and affection! Mark spent years working with these rescued animals, some of which were so fearful of humans when they came to the center that they wouldn't let him anywhere near them. Now they all love him, and it's fun to watch him interact and play ...