Meet Jennie Burns | Founder, Jennie of the Jungle

We had the good fortune of connecting with Jennie Burns and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Jennie, what was your thought process behind starting your own business?
I started Jennie of the Jungle because I saw a need to match interested volunteers with wildlife projects around the world. I had a strong network of wildlife projects, having been a traveling volunteer in this field for years starting in college. I volunteered at projects in Peru, Ecuador, Belize, Costa Rica and Thailand, as well as wildlife rehabilitation centers in the US and Europe. So it was easy to set up regular trips to these projects with a group of volunteers in tow! And I know that many people are new to travel or hesitant to travel alone, so decided to lead the trips myself – getting to travel and do the work I love in the process.

What should our readers know about your business?
My business, Jennie of the Jungle, is a niche business, because it’s the only travel company focused on wildlife volunteer work that travels with you. I created this business because I saw a need to match interested volunteers with suitable projects around the world – projects that would teach them about conservation and allow them to have up close and personal experiences with the animals they love and want to protect. What better way to ensure people will want to save our planet? And since volunteering with wildlife abroad was my hobby for many years of my life and the only thing I really loved doing, I found a way to continue doing it while also making a living.

I’d say that starting this business was one of my most difficult undertakings. I grew up in poverty with little parental influence from a single mother on government assistance. Nature shows were my escape from the reality of my childhood, and I watched them religiously. I fell in love with the plights of wildlife around the world. I did well in school because it got me away from my home situation, and my favorite class in high school was my AP Biology class, where I got to learn even more about the inner workings of animals. I chose to major in Biology when I entered college on early admissions, and was finally free to be the person I wanted to be away from my family and past. I devoured knowledge around wildlife, the tropics, and conservation. And when I was the first of my family to graduate from the University, I took a volunteer position radio collaring and tracking wild ocelots in the Belizean rainforest for three months. My travels with wildlife work were just getting started, and for the next 10 years I worked only to save money to travel to the next project. I eventually realized that this would not make me a living, so brainstormed on how I could make this my permanent line of work. Unfortunately working with animals rarely pays. When a ridiculous dream materialized – of me leading my own trips with interested volunteers to the projects within my current network around the world – I laughed at the thought. I could never imagine myself in a leadership role. Having a difficult childhood resulted in a severe lack of confidence, and I definitely didn’t know anything about business. I sat on this dream for years before a friend was willing to help me accomplish it. He pushed me into starting my company and assured me I could do it. He was willing to help me build a website and get the business started. So I took the leap.

Being a business owner is not easy. I still don’t feel I know the full ins and outs of running a business, and in 2020 Covid shut me down, just as my company was starting to take off. All travel was halted and I was forced to give refunds out of pocket that year. But I was determined to rise from those ashes, and as of this year, I’ve got steady trips running again.

Any places to eat or things to do that you can share with our readers? If they have a friend visiting town, what are some spots they could take them to?
I live in and am completely in love with Boulder. It’s surrounded by so much beautiful nature and culture. If I had a friend visit for a week, we would definitely do lots of hikes! I’d take them through Rocky Mountain National Park to the Dream Lake trail, where I’d get to show them three of the park’s most beautiful lakes and have a picnic at Dream Lake. We’d enjoy our to-go sandwiches from the St. Vrain deli and market in Lyons we grabbed on the way up to the park. Then we’d come back into town and spend a warm evening on the rooftop bar at Rosetta Hall – which boasts some of my favorite food and drinks in Boulder.

The next day I might take them to Brainard Lake to look for moose and mushrooms growing wild on the trails. Then we would hit Roots Music Project to hear some of my local folk musicians perform.

I would definitely show them Mt. Evans, which has the highest road in the contiguous United States. If we hit it at the right time of year, we could see baby mountain goats prancing around the tundra. I always go to the tippy top to see the stunning snowy-topped mountain vistas that go on as far as the eye can see. And I’d get to show them the marmots and big-horn sheep that abound there. Dinner might be at West End Tavern (another rooftop, I’m obsessed with them!) where I’d sip a vodka tonic and look out at the flatirons in the golden hour light.

Pearl Street would be a must, and we’d walk up and down it, throwing bills to our favorite, most entertaining buskers. We’d stop for ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s (non-dairy for me) and step into Boulder Bookstore, where I could browse books for hours. Then we might have dinner at Hapa sushi or Salt or The Kitchen, depending on how fancy we were feeling.

If my friend had never been here before, I would book us two seats on the Banjo Billy’s bus tour of Boulder, where we’d learn about interesting structures and historical neighborhoods around Boulder. Not to mention all the ghost stories that abound here. We’d conclude the ride by stopping at Dushanbe Teahouse for an afternoon tea on the patio and a stroll through Central Park and BMoCA (Boulder Museum of Contemporary Art).

We’d stop at Trader Joe’s to stock up on snacks and head to NCAR and maybe hike some of the trails around there, giving us a good view of the foothills.

On the weekend we might look for live music at some of my favorite venues – Planet Bluegrass in Lyons, Trident Bookstore and Coffeeshop, the Niwot Wheelhouse, Etown or Roots Music Project. Boulder’s local folk scene is the best! If we’re really lucky, maybe we scored tickets to a Gregory Alan Isakov show at The Stanley Hotel or Redrocks Ampitheater. Our local folk star, he’s my favorite musician of all time.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
My business wouldn’t be where it is today without Aron Smolley, my business partner and co-tripleader. He’s a bird trainer and wildlife photographer I met at Tracy Aviary in Salt Lake City, Utah. He asked me if I would like to move to Belize and volunteer with raptor rescue and rehabilitation with him, and I asked him if he’d like to help lead my Jennie of the Jungle trips. Suffice it to say we’ve had an adventurous few years together!
We’ve led trips to Namibia, South Africa, Costa Rica, Belize and Thailand. Before Aron, everything that could go wrong on a trip, did. And I quickly learned that I needed a co-leader who could take care of our volunteer group while I took care of the logistics of the trip. It helps that he’s a lot better at “people” than me. He’s been an invaluable group leader and source of comfort while in new and foreign places. He helps provide me with the confidence I need to keep the business going, and often reminds me of why I started this company in the first place. His love for and dedication to wildlife is invaluable to not only Jennie of the Jungle, but to the world.

Website: www.jennieofthejungle.com

Instagram: jennieofthejungle2

Facebook: Jennie of the Jungle

Youtube: https://youtube.com/@jennieofthejungle2871

Image Credits
Jennifer Ilene