About Debbie

Name: Debbie Jelena Bouma

Ecologist, Marine Mammal Specialist, Assistant Expedition Leader, Expedition Guide.

Age: 33

Nationality: Dutch 

Expertise: Marine mammals, Animal behavior and welfare, muskoxen and polar bears

Activities: Zodiac Driver, Photography, Bear guard, Lectures, Kayaking, Snorkeling.

Debbie is an Zoologist and works as an Expedition guide in polar regions and in her home country, the Netherlands, passionate about tracking and recording fauna for various agencies, sites and projects.

Debbie lives for Wildlife and specializes in animal welfare and natural behavior. Her expertise lies in marine mammals, having worked professionally as a dolphin trainer for over a decade. While fulfilling her previous career, Debbie never stopped dreaming and learning. In 2019 she took on a new challenge by traveling and sharing her knowledge on several expeditions, from New Zealand, Iceland to Northern Norway and beyond.

During expeditions snorkeling among whales and orcas or during photo trips to see musk oxen and arctic foxes, Debbie likes to share her in-depth knowledge about the animals and their behavior during the activities, as well as in lectures. In addition, she is highly motivated *alone or together with guests* to capture Fauna through photography. When Debbie is not on the road for her work, she enjoys an active 4×4 holiday with her partner Johnny in their self-built Landrover Camper.

Together with Johnny, Debbie started Wild-Encounters in the spring of 2022. In order to be able to fulfill the joint skills and expertise of multiple sides. See also the homepage for more information and activities of Wild-Encounters.