Allison LeBlanc grew up in the Louisiana bayous before her career pulled her north to Nova Scotia-unknowingly retracing her Acadian ancestors' migration, just in reverse. Now a wildlife veterinarian specializing in turtles, she spends her days tracking endangered Blanding’s turtles around Kejimkujik National Park.

She jokes that she looks like the last person you’d want to run into in a dark swamp, but Allison is actually the first to put a nervous room at ease-usually long before anyone notices her rows of razor-sharp teeth. She’s just as comfortable knee-deep in marsh mud rescuing wildlife as she is losing track of time over coffee and board games with friends. 🐢