Rumble in the Jungle

The hosted a special educational event called "Jungle Encounters" on Monday, which, despite the wintry weather, brought in dozens of young children with their families for the chance to see and learn about exotic animals from around the world.

The event was hosted by wildlife expert and "Jungle Encounters" owner Debi Willoughby, who brought six of her favorite animals with her to show the children: "Digger," the fennec fox; "Blue," the blue-tonuged skink; "Moxy" the chinchilla; "Toffee" the African hedgehog; "Loki" the tenrec and a young American alligator, which she allowed the braver children to come up and pet after the show.

The children were very enthusiastic from start to finish, asking lots of questions and always letting out a collective sigh when the animals were put back in their cages. This is not the first time the Jungle Encounters program has come to Holliston, and if Monday's success is any indication, it likely won't be the last time either.

Jungle Encounters was established as a means of educating people about animals and the world around them. The program is essentially a traveling zoo, as Willoughby and her animals are always on the move to their next gig. During Monday's event, Willoughby taught the children about each animal's natural habitat, diet, and behaviors. She also allowed the children opportunity to ask whatever questions they had about the animals, which after the event concluded, she revealed was among her favorite parts of the job.

"Kids come up with some very interesting questions, and that tells me they are learning and they are listening, which is wonderful," said Willoughby.

"(Monday's) event went very well, the kids were very well-behaved, which is never surprising. Kids are usually great in front of animals because they love to learn about them, and having these events in a library is a perfect fit because afterwards the kids can go search for books to learn more about them."