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...

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 ...

They're cool, they're calm, and they're hangin' out at 14,000 feet! It's the Mt. Evans mountain goats! I took a trip up the highest road in the continental U.S. to photograph the goats and to enjoy the beauty that is Mt. Evans, Colorado. I was lucky to see so many goats up there! The road just opened a couple of weeks ago, due to a particularly stormy spring and impassable conditions. The babies, who are normally born in June, are just weaning now, in August! Lucky for me... Baby mountain goat and it's protective mama Licking minerals from the rocks Beautiful animals The bighorn sheep and marmots were out in force as well. Temperatures at the top of the mountain were near 30 degrees, even though it was 90 degrees down in Boulder. Just hangin out on the highest cliffs ever The highest road in the U.S. Sundowners Yellow-bellied marmot Though this was my first time ever seeing mountain goats in the wild, I had taken my fir...

I was just so excited I had to share! Been wanting to see one for quite some time now. Black bear near Gold Hill, Colorado Unfortunately I didn't have my camera with me - so this was snapped with a point and shoot. Still... Next on the list: mountain lion!