Gwen Jones Poe. Gwen Jones Poe was born and raised in New Mexico. She was the eldest of three, and the family heritage included farming and ranching. Her father was a heavy equipment operator, and her mom was a nurse aide. The family always had one or more pets, and the kids were always responsible for helping care for them. Additionally, they raised chickens and rabbits, and conservation and education were always important elements in our environment. As a grade school student, Gwen was an active foster care person for many of the "classroom" animals and pets, which included turtles, frogs, rats, and non-venomous snakes,during the summer break. Other students also acted as foster care people. They learned and shared experiences about animal behavior and responses to human behavior. One year, when Gwen was about 12, the local game warden needed some assistance with foster care for a female bobcat named Dorothy for a few months. The Jones family was delighted with the project, and Dorothy became a very special feature in the household. Gwen graduated from NMSU and was a math teacher in New Mexico. She moved to California and switched to teaching physical education for three years. She returned to New Mexico and UNM and received her master's degree in physical education. She returned to California and married. She had a blended family and changed from teaching to opening a couple of gymnastics training centers. The family always had pets that included dogs, cats, rabbits, and fish. Every summer, the family traveled to New Mexico to visit Gwen's parents, who owned and operated a Rock Shop east of Socorro in once upon a time a small farming community town named Bingham. There was also a mining district in the area dating back to civil war time because of the lead and barite. Dad had hauled ore and knew the lady, Mrs. Blanchard, who owned the shop. When Mrs. Blanchard passed, Dad was given first option to buy the shop. Gwen was in California, Boyd was in the military, and Randy was in college. Sam and Vera enjoyed their new home and business, and there was always room to camp and explore, and places to hunt and look for rocks. They also enjoyed hiking and exploring historical Indian sites and excavations. It was
a spring day when they were out exploring and hiking. They came across a slightly sheltered area and found three infant bobcats, probably only a few days old. They looked around for some time, trying to locate the mother, and never found her. They later related that the mother had probably been bitten by a snake or a coyote and was dying. In order to lessen the pain of starvation, she took the kits out of the den so a predator would find them. Sam and Vera picked them up and returned to the Rock Shop. All three kits could fit in her folded hands. She put colored ribbons around their necks and the same color ribbons around the bottles of milk she obtained at the cattle feed store. When Gwen and the family came to visit in the early summer, memories of Dorothy filled the conversations, and Vera let Gwen adopt one of the kits, who were now doing well and growing. Because of the name of the once small settlement being Bingham, New Mexico, Gwen name the bobcat "Bingham". Bingham became a family member and lived with two dogs and another cat. Because he never had a "survival" lifestyle, he never developed any "wild life" patterns. Gwen sought food and medical assistance at the Los Angeles Zoo. She hand-fed him, and often in the sink. She knew from many life time experiences with foster caring for animals how important the surroundings were. She would feed him alone and quietly until he was comfortable with the environment. He also had an enclosed outdoor habitat and free rein in the home. The reason for writing the book was threefold. 1. It is a true historical story, and 2. It is conservation oriented, and 3. validated human/animal adaptation to love and attention. Conservation and education are vital elements in our daily lives. Gwen Poe also had a very special fostering experience with a baby antelope, which has not been written down. The mother was killed by coyotes while giving birth, and the ranch manager happened to be near and rescued the baby and took it to Gwen. Gwen Poe lives in Albuquerque, N.Mex, and is a docent at the Rio Grande BioPark and Zoo. She is involved in many community activities and is very proud of "Bingham, the Bobcat" story. The book is filled with many personal times, places, and family. Enjoy.. Gwen Poe
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