Lianne Thompson

Lianne was born in England, but has spent most of her life in Canada. She grew up in southern Ontario, where her love for nature started early. While obtaining her undergraduate zoology degree at the University of Guelph, Lianne gained her first wildlife education experience in as a volunteer for Wild Ontario, an organization that works with native non-releasable birds of prey. These educational programs were designed to get people get inspired by and fall in love with local wildlife. Since then, Lianne has worked for several zoos and conservation organizations, working with with many native and exotic species. After graduation in Ontario, she moved to Winnipeg to work at Assiniboine Park Zoo, where she worked with rescued orphaned polar bears and many other native and exotic species that serve as educational ambassadors to promote Arctic conservation and human-wildlife coexistence.

Though her career provided many opportunities to participate in wildlife education, Lianne sought to discover how she could use these skills on a global scale. She is currently finishing her master's degree in conservation education at Miami University, with a focus on the importance of leadership, communication and community involvement for environmental preservation. Her particular area of interest is human-wildlife coexistence in urban settings and wildlife tourism. This inspiration drew largely from field courses where she witnessed spectacular conservation programs around the globe during her school career, including snorkeling with sea lions in Baja, searching for quetzals in Costa Rica, going on game drives to observe cheetahs in Kenya, and watching a sloth cross the road in Guyana.

Lianne currently lives in British Columbia, where you can find her wandering fields or climbing mountains as she enjoys hiking, camping and wildlife photography. Though she has moved away from Winnipeg, she is excited to head back to Manitoba through her work with Natural Habitat Adventures as part of the Churchill polar bear team, where she looks forward to sharing her deep knowledge about Arctic ecology and climate change.

Upcoming Adventures with Lianne:
Polar Bears of Churchill
The Cotswolds: Exploring English Nature
Iceland: Circling the Land of Fire & Ice

Praise from Nat Hab travelers:

D. Wells
“Lianne was an excellent Expedition Leader. She was polite at all times and treated guests with respect. Her organizational skills really shined as she made sure the trip ran seamlessly. Her attitude was always positive, and she was a true pleasure to be around.”

P. Flynn
“This was my first trip with Nat Hab, so I didn’t know what to expect. Our guide, Lianne, was excellent and is an asset to your company. She clearly set up expectations and made sure we had a great time. Nat Hab is lucky to have her.”

V. Climan
“Lianne was so much fun! She did a good job of balancing what different people wanted to do in town while also taking everyone’s needs into consideration. She was very knowledgeable, pleasant and made the trip very enjoyable.”

L. Miller
“Lianne was attentive, knowledgeable and adept at keeping our group together and on schedule. I appreciated her enthusiasm for the wildlife we were seeing and her level of knowledge. Learning from Lianne and seeing polar bears was nothing short of majestic.”

H. Kenyon
“Lianne was an excellent Expedition Leader since she spoke well and knew information on a wide variety of topics. She taught our group a lot about Churchill, Arctic culture and animals found in that region. She went out of her way to be extraordinarily friendly to everyone in our group.”