ABOUT US

Jungle Encounters is privately owned and operated by the Willoughby family. Debi Willoughby runs the day-to-day functions of the business and she has a lifetime of experience working with animals. She has been lecturing with and training exotic animals since 1996.

Jungle Encounters is a USDA and state licensed facility and is fully insured. We are a private facility located in Uxbridge, Massachusetts.

When you invite Jungle Encounters to your event, you will get an experienced zookeeper/wildlife educator who will make learning fun and memorable with our clean, healthy wild animals. For large events, we have additional help from educated volunteers who have experienced backgrounds working with animals.

Extract from Debi regarding her work experience:

"I have owned, observed and trained animals all of my life. I volunteered at Southboro Animal Hospital in Southboro, MA. I was responsible for caring for the animals, preparing and viewing test slides, maintaining the client database and I was able to observe surgeries and operations.

I next went to Southwick's Zoo in Mendon, MA to volunteer in April 1996. I worked in the Earth Educational Building. I took care of reptiles, birds and small mammals. I lectured 3 times a day to the public on the basic differences between birds, reptiles and mammals. The types of animals I used in each lecture consisted of the following: a 4' milk snake, 6' boa constrictor, hyacinth macaw, blue & gold parrot, ferret, chinchilla, ringtailed lemur, patagonian cavie,and a common marmoset. During my time at Southwick's Zoo I worked closely with a common marmoset every day to make it people-friendly and easy to handle at educational lectures both on the premises and off. This was a very rewarding experience for me and that is when I decided I wanted to spend my life working closely with animals by training them and educating the public about them. So after 3 years at Southwick's Zoo, I decided to expand my background and get more experience doing what I love, working with and training exotic animals."

Greenville Wildlife Park
Leopard			Siberian Tiger
Leopard			White Tiger
Serval
			White Tiger

I then starting volunteering at Greenville Wildlife Park in Greenville, NH in March 1999. I took care of a variety of animals, ranging from wolves to tigers to porcupines, helped build cages and enclosures for the animals, helped bottle raise babies born at the park, performed 2 educational lectures a day, gave lectures at fairgrounds and gatherings, assisted with lectures and exhibits for the Discovery Channel and Animal Planet, and helped the park owners, Glen & Kathy Eldridge with their Exotic Cat Shows at various events. The lectures at the park and outside the park were based on the survival and characteristics of wild animals and endangered species. The types of animals I used in these lectures varied from millipedes to exotic cats to reptiles to marsupials. During my 4 years at the park I worked very closely with 4 of their animals: a white Bengal Tiger, an African Spotted Leopard and 2 African Serval Cats. I trained them 4 times a week, year round, to teach them basic commands like sit, walk, wait, jump, etc. This enabled me to be able to handle them safely at educational lectures around New England and New York. I believe their good temper and manners were a direct result of the love and respect they received from all of the park members. Training those animals was the most rewarding experience and best time of my life so far in my career.

In April 2001, I started Jungle Encounters to spread the word about wildlife conservation. I have been performing shows at all types of events, for people of all ages. Working with and caring for exotic animals is a 24/7 job. I have pretty much given up vacations with my husband and weekends are never laid back and relaxing! But it is all worth it. I find great satisfaction in developing close relationships with my animals and knowing I am helping their relatives in the wild. All it takes is the look in one of my animal's eyes to remind me that all of my hard work is well worthwhile!

In 2006 one of my friends was given a great opportunity to become director of a rainforest reserve in Ecuador. I began speaking with her and planning a way I could directly help the ocelots and margays (small wild cats) of the reserve. For many months I did research, met new people and planned out what is now known as The Jungle Fund. The mission of The Jungle Fund is to spread the word about the small wild cats of the world and the goal is to collect donations to help support projects that will directly help save the small cats of the world! This is going to be the most fulfilling job in my career so far. Cats have always been my favorite animal and to be able to make a direct impact on them in the wild is something that I will cherish forever. To find out more about The Jungle Fund, please click here.

Even though we are busy 24/7, we do try to find some time for human enrichment:

Deb petting a harbor seal's belly	Deb training a fur seal with a wand	Deb smooching with a harbor seal