Episode 6: Wolf research and conservation with Chelsea Greer
In this episode of Raincoast Radio’s Of Wolves and Women, Wolf Conservation Program Director and podcast host Chelsea Greer reflects on her early fascination with the human-animal bond and how her post-secondary education transformed her perspective on what truly benefits wildlife. She discusses how exploring alternative paradigms to traditional conservation and animal welfare science sparked her curiosity about applying animal welfare principles to wildlife and developing creative coexistence strategies.
From studying elephants in Thailand to protecting wolves in British Columbia, Chelsea shares how her time as a graduate student in the Canid Conservation Science Lab at the University of Calgary deepened her understanding of the challenges facing wolves and coyotes in North America, ultimately leading her to Raincoast to help develop the Wolf Conservation Program. Working as a biologist and wolf researcher within the program, Chelsea also recounts her first encounter with a wolf in the wild, reflecting on the layers of meaning behind the experience and the actions it inspired.
“When you protect habitat for wolves, because they are a wide ranging carnivore and have such a profound ecological impact — and this is what we would call an umbrella species — you’re protecting habitat for so many other species.”
Chelsea Greer, Biologist and Wolf Conservation Program Director
Guided by the inextricable link of science and ethics, Chelsea emphasizes how Raincoast’s approach to wildlife conservation continues to be grounded in doing the most good and the least harm to people, animals, and the environment. We delve into the importance of wolves and wolf conservation, highlighting not only the profound role wolves play in ecosystems, but also the cultural and intrinsic value they hold both as a species and as individuals.
Finally, Chelsea reflects on what she has learned from interviewing this remarkable group of women and what studying wolves has taught her about herself.
Chelsea Greer is the director of the Wolf Conservation Program at Raincoast Conservation Foundation. The focus of her work is to support the protection and conservation of wolves in British Columbia through peer-reviewed research, community partnerships, public education, and wildlife management reform. This includes scientific and ethics-driven initiatives that are working toward the implementation of provincial policy that respects the welfare of wolves and their important role in functioning ecosystems.
Chelsea is particularly interested in the welfare concerns that arise from the lethal management of predators and is an advocate for animal welfare in scientific research. Her research interests also include better understanding predator-prey dynamics in salmon-bearing watersheds and the role wolves play in biodiversity conservation and ecosystem resilience.
Chelsea completed her master’s degree in Geography at the University of Calgary where she studied the behavioural ecology of rewilded Asian elephants in northern Thailand. Her graduate research used a compassionate model of conservation to investigate the rehabilitative and ecological requisites of elephants transitioning from captive to free-living settings. Chelsea also holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of British Columbia where she majored in Applied Animal Biology. It was during this degree that she developed a keen interest in animal ethics and how animal welfare science applies to free-living wild populations.
Additional resources
- Other series hosted and curated by Chelsea Greer
- Remembering Gudrun “Gudy” Pflüger
- Learn more about our Wolf Conservation Program
Topics discussed
[00:40] – Chelsea’s introduction
[01:15] – What led you to study wildlife?
[02:45] – Animal welfare and wildlife
[05:30] – Graduate research with rewilded elephants
[08:20] – How do you study the behaviour of elephants?
[13:00] – A story of the mahout-elephant relationship
[14:10] – Complexities of the elephant behavioural repertoire
[15:50] – Raincoast and wolf conservation
[18:55] – Connecting with Paul Paquet
[20:45] – Raincoast’s Wolf Conservation program
[21:50] – Doing the most good and least harm
[22:15] – Return and recovery of wolves on the South Coast
[23:30] – Deepening our community relationships
[24:00] – Wolf campaign and inspiring public policy change
[25:45] – Why is wolf conservation important?
[27:54] – Cultural and intrinsic value of wolves
[28:15] – Role as director of Wolf Conservation program
[29:45] – Prioritizing animal welfare and ethics in wolf research
[32:00] – First encounter with a wolf in the wild
[33:40] – Bark-howling and what it means
[35:10] – Mitigations to minimize wolf disturbance
[36:40] – How it felt to see a wolf in the wild
[38:45] – Inspiration for the series Of Wolves and Women
[40:05] – What Chelsea has learned from these women
[43:15] – What has working with wolves taught you about yourself?
[44:25] – The value of connection
[44:45] – Advice for young women and girls
[46:55] – How listeners can support the wolf program
About Raincoast Radio
Raincoast Radio is created by Raincoast Conservation Foundation. It is produced by Sofia Osborne with additional audio editing by Oumar Salifou. Fact checking by the Raincoast team. The wolf photo in the podcast art is by Mark Williams. Music by Crypt-of-Insomnia and Luca Francini.
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