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Walking with
WOLVES
If you want to try something
new, then why not visit the
Wolf Conservation Trust. Sarah
Bosley met up with Tsa Palmer,
who, along with her late husband
Roger, set up the trust, which
is not only home to 10 wolves,
but also funds conservation
projects worldwide and runs
education sessions and open
days at the trust’s headquarters,
in Beenham
W
hen she was introduced to a three-
month-old wolf cub on a first date, Tsa
Palmer had no idea how intertwined
her life would become with the animals.
The cub, named My Lady, was being hand-
reared by Tsa’s future husband, Roger Palmer,
after he fell in love with the animals on a trip to
Alaska in the 1970s.
From that first encounter has grown an
international organisation – the UK Wolf
Conservation Trust (UKWCT) – which is now
ploughing hundreds of thousands of pounds
into research and conservation projects across
the globe.
“In the early days, a lot of people still thought
that all wolves were vicious,” explains Tsa. “But
Roger knew that the key was getting
them young and bottle-feeding them.
“You have a window of around two
to three months where you can
socialise them and they won’t have
picked up the fear of humans from
their parents.
“Tame is not a word I would use to
describe the wolves, because they
are not tame animals, but they are
wonderful.”
The couple acquired more wolves
to keep as pets in the early days of
their marriage and they were used in
a number of films and TV shows, including
An
American Werewolf in London
.
“The wolves really enjoyed it,” says Tsa. “They
really surprised me how well they soaked up
everything that was being asked of them. You
never expect them to actually jump out of a
well when they [the film crew] want them to, but
they did.”
In the summer of 1983 the family, including the
wolves, all moved to Beenham and, with the
“reasonable amount of money” that was paid
for the wolves’ starring roles, Tsa says they
were able to build them a bigger and better
enclosure.
“When we moved, we were looking for
somewhere without close neighbours, so this
was a good location,” she explains. “We had six
acres and the wolves lived right by the house
at first.
“My three children were brought up with the
wolves. They were always in the house when
they were being hand-raised.”
Despite Tsa and Roger’s family welcoming
the wolves into their lives, some locals initially
had misgivings. In the ensuing years, however,
the family and the wolves have cemented
themselves into the heart and soul of the
village and the people who live there.
Beenham Primary School now proudly displays
a wolf on its logo and Tsa says she doesn’t
think the howling bothers people too much.
The first time some locals were aware of the
wolves was when they set off on a trek to
uncover what was responsible for the bright
lights in the surrounding countryside one night.
“The BBC were filming with the wolves at night
behind our house and people, in Bradfield
Southend in particular, saw the lights and
thought it was UFOs,” says Tsa.