Today we’d like to introduce you to Jodi Carnevale.
Hi Jodi, thanks for sharing your story with us. To start, maybe you can tell our readers some of your backstory.
Honestly, it all started with a seed, both figuratively and literally.
Jungle Jodi and Wild Travis James led different lives divided by miles but both doing things for conservation, environment and animals just in very different ways. But their paths crossed by chance and they immediately knew their mission together.
Years ago, a trip to Madagascar changed everything for Wild Travis James. While out searching for vanilla for his rum, Madi Rum, he saw in Madagascar something magical and real. Seeing the wildlife there, especially the lemurs, and learning how quickly their forests were disappearing, planted something in us. We came home knowing we couldn’t just walk away from what we saw. Meanwhile, Jungle Jodi was focused on rescuing animals stateside and providing a safe and stable environment for them to flourish in. Travis came back from Madagascar searching for a lemur ambassador and Jodi had just that. Jodi had adopted a little lemur that needed a home since his animal mom stopped feeding him. Together, with Madi the lemur, they knew they would be the perfect troop to help spread the message of conservation.
At first, our mission was simple: inspire people to care about conservation by helping them fall in love with the animals who need protecting. We began with just one lemur ambassador, Madi, and a belief that if a child could look an animal in the eyes, they’d feel something real. That connection could spark lifelong empathy.
What started as small local educational visits grew quickly. People connected with our message, our animals, and the heart behind our work. Soon, we were building a full troop of ambassadors—each one loved, and able to teach their own story. We took them into schools, community events, and programs, showing children and adults that conservation isn’t something far away. It’s something we can all take part in.
While we were educating here at home, we also stayed committed to helping on the ground in Madagascar. That led to partnerships with villages, support for children, and helping families who live near fragile forests find sustainable ways to thrive. We wanted to be part of real solutions, not just talk about them.
Along the way we realized something powerful: the more people connected with our ambassadors here in the U.S., the more support we could send to protect habitats and communities in Madagascar. The two sides of our work grew together.
Today, we’ve expanded far beyond our beginnings. We run regular educational programs, support conservation efforts overseas, and continue adding ambassadors who need care and can help us teach. We even brought our story into a children’s book to inspire kids long after we leave a classroom or event.
So how did we get here? We followed the same message we teach: one seed at a time. One child inspired, one animal cared for, one village supported, one story told. And over time those seeds grew into something bigger… a mission, a community, and a movement rooted in compassion, education, and hope.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
The road has been a bumpy one for sure but both Jodi and Travis thrive in adventure (and nature). Our non profit status came to us just days before we were shut down due to Covid and the path after has been met with challenges. In todays day and age so many people are struggling to survive so we limited fundraising and have been mostly self funded. So financially there is always a struggle to keep up and make sure we provide for all the animals in our care to include their enrichment, vet bills and cost of living.
Recently, Jodi has had 2 major surgeries back to back making it difficult to keep up. Having to rely on others tightens our finances even more.
Other struggles we encounter is that humans have become a very selfish species not realizing that we have to take care of Mother Earth- pick up after ourselves, be more kind and help those in need. To be the voice of the animals. People are disconnected to our outside world and forget that our land, water ways and forests need to be protected and looked after.
Our hours are long and hard with care being offered for our animals pretty much 24-7 and as rewarding as it is since we love so deeply when we lose one our hearts break. We know we cannot save every animal but we always make sure any animal in our care knows what true love is, regardless of if they are just visiting us and being babysat for a couple of hours, days or years.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your business?
What we do is actually a blend of things you don’t often see together. At our core, we specialize in interactive conservation education, but we do it by using our animal ambassadors to create real, emotional connections with people. Anyone can show you a picture of a lemur or talk about deforestation. We bring the experience to life. When a child looks into Madi’s eyes or feels the softness of one of our animal ambassadors, something changes in them. Suddenly conservation isn’t a distant concept. It’s personal, it’s real, and it matters. We go to schools, kids clubs, community events, grand openings, birthday parties and corporate events and trade shows. You name it we show up- we take every chance we get to spread the word about our critters and conservation.
What truly sets us apart is that we aren’t just an animal program, and we’re not just a conservation nonprofit. We stand in the middle, bridging two worlds. Every experience we bring to a school, event, or community here in the U.S. directly supports real families, real forests, and real lemurs in Madagascar. Our work has a dual purpose:
1. To educate, inspire, and create lifelong stewards of the planet here at home.
2. To support communities and conservation efforts on the ground where help is most needed.
Another thing that makes us unique is our troop of ambassadors. Every animal in our care has a story. Some are rescues, some are misfits, some were animals that needed a soft place to land. Instead of hiding those stories, we use them to teach compassion, empathy, and responsibility. Our message is simple: every life matters, no matter how big or small, cuddly or creepy.
What we’re most proud of is the impact we’re seeing. Not just in Madagascar, but in the eyes and hearts of the children we meet. We’re proud that our programs don’t just entertain, they plant seeds. We’ve watched terrified kids learn to hold snakes with confidence. We’ve seen children who struggle socially connect deeply with our more sensitive animals. We’ve heard from families whose kids suddenly want to recycle, plant trees, or learn about endangered species. And we’re proud that our work overseas supports sustainable solutions, education, and real families not just temporary fixes.
But above all, we’re proud that we’ve stayed true to our original promise: to protect wildlife by inspiring humans. We never wanted to be the biggest, we wanted to be the most meaningful.
And what we want readers to know is this… you don’t have to travel across the world to make a difference. You don’t have to be a scientist or a conservationist. Every act of compassion counts. Every child who learns to care about animals becomes an adult who fights for them. Every donation helps a village, a forest, a family, or an animal.
Our mission is built on one belief … that it only takes one seed to change everything. We’re here to plant those seeds. And we hope readers will join us in helping them grow.
We are always looking for individuals and companies that want to sponsor an animal or a book reading that comes to life at a school. get in touch with us for sponsorships and donations.
Do you have any advice for those looking to network or find a mentor?
This one is hard for me because I can talk all day to animals and talk ABOUT animals but talking to people about me… golly I get nervous. So I use a trick- talk to EVERYONE!!! Say hi, compliment at least one person a day, make sure to smile at everyone and sometimes ask a random person for advice. You NEVER know who you are going to meet or who you are standing next to. Go to different events and support others. We go to chamber of commerce events to network and bounce around ideas. Join groups on facebook and find similar people on social media- that is how we grew our troop and continue to grow.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.madismission.org
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/madithelemur
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/joinmadismission
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@madismission
Image Credits
All photos taken by Madi’s Mission
