Look where we've been, what we've done and what we're involved in....

Roots and Shoots

I, Debi, had the unbelievable opportunity to meet Jane Goodall and hear her speak about her project "Roots and Shoots". To me, Jane is a quiet woman with a loud voice. She is humble and soft-spoken, yet her words are very powerful. She captured the attention of every person in the lecture hall and her presence was felt by everyone. She has been an inspiration to me for many years not only because she has been successful in spreading the word about wildlife conservation, but because she has been able to motivate people all over the world to act out and change the world for the better. Her words will be with me forever. Thank you Jane for all you have done for wildlife conservation and humanity.

Animal Planet and Discovery

I have assisted Greenville Wildlife Park at Animal Planet and Discovery functions all over the east coast! Greenville Wildlife Park provided animals for various displays to help promote key shows and stars like Steve Erwin's Crocodile Hunter! These hit shows are a great place for people all over the world to learn about wild animals.

9/06: It is with a sad heart that we have to bid farewell to Steve Erwin. Some didn't agree with his "carefree" methods while handling animals, but most didn't understand he was an experienced man who knew what he was doing. Because of his "crazy" methods, he became a household word. And because his name is a household word, that means he spread the word about wildlife and conservation to everyone. From all wildlife educators......Thank You Steve, you achieved what all of us are trying to achieve every day.

Cincinnati Zoo & Kathy Hilker's Animal Ambassadors

I had the luxury of meeting Kathy and experiencing her exciting Cheetah Run! Kathy heads the Cat Ambassador Program at the Cincinnati Zoo and has dedicated her life to saving cheetahs in the wilds of Africa by teaching people all over the world about cheetahs and getting donations to help the African natives live in harmony with wild cheetahs. After an escorted educational behind the scenes tour of the Cincinnati Zoo, I was invited to Kathy's house to watch her 2 cheetahs run the length of a football field within seconds! It was a breathtaking and ever-memorable experience to be 10 feet away from a cheetah who is free and running at top speed. That was something most people will never see and I feel priveledged to have been a part of.

A couple years later I was fortunate enough to go to Kathy's cheetah breeding facility to see her cheetahs run again! It was just as breathtaking the second time around! I was able to talk to her about my mission to try to help conserve the small cats of the world and she gave me some good, solid advise from her own experiences. I was also able to meet Jim Sanderson, a field biologist who has dedicated his life to saving the small cats of our world. With both Kathy and Jim's advise and guidance, I am now better equipped to start my work on helping the small cats. Thank you Kathy and Jim, you both are wonderful people!

And thank you everyone who brought your wonderful animals for the rest of us to enjoy!

CMDART (Central Massachusetts Disaster Animal Response Team)

Jungle Encounters is a member of CMDART, which was formed to help animals who have been involved in a disaster (fire, hurricane, any natural disaster) and also teach animal owners how to prepare and protect their own animals in an emergency. CMDART has been actively involved with the animals displaced from hurricane Katrina. We, here at Jungle Encounters, feel priveledged to be a part of helping these displaced animals. If you would like more information about CMDART, please visit www.cmdart.org.

We also are involved with smaller, but not less important, plights to save all types of animals by helping Animal Rescue Facilities and similar organizations save animals.