Member Spotlight! Annie Pagé

Name: Anne-Sophie (Annie) Pagé

Institution: Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Year and type of graduate student program(s)/additional training:

Graduated with a BVSc in 2021 and have just finished a wildlife pathology residency in August 2026. 

What is it that attracted you to work on wildlife originally?

I was lucky enough to grow up on the Otago Peninsula, one of the most wildlife-dense parts of New Zealand. My mum is a marine biologist and my dad was a maritime archaeologist early in his career, so I grew up in a very ocean-focused household where curiosity about the natural world was part of everyday life. I think that shaped my priorities long before I consciously chose a career. Being surrounded by species that occur nowhere else in the world, in ecosystems that felt both intact and incredibly vulnerable, made me want to contribute to protecting them.

What has attracted you to focus on pathology?

Whilst working in clinical practice, I was fortunate to have been exposed to large wildlife caseloads and became involved in the establishment of the Tasmania Wildlife Hospital. I found that the opportunities to help individual animals incredibly fulfilling, but I increasingly felt frustrated by how little impact I could have at a species level at a time of such rapid ecological change. Pathology seemed like a logical pathway into that bigger picture. By investigating mortality, we can identify patterns, emerging threats and population-level pressures within threatened species, and hopefully use that information to influence conservation management and prevent further decline.

How can WDA-A members find out more information about this field?

The best way is to get involved with people already working in wildlife health. Attend WDA-A conferences and workshops and get to know those in attendance. Look for opportunities with wildlife hospitals, universities, government agencies and conservation organisations. I would also encourage students to think beyond traditional veterinary pathways. Wildlife health is inherently interdisciplinary and there are so many ways to contribute and make an impact. 

What are some key reflections for you about your work in the wildlife health field in Australasia?  

One of the biggest things I have learned is that wildlife health is rarely about one disease or one species. It sits within an incredibly complicated system involving climate, habitat, introduced predators, food availability, human activity, infectious disease and population dynamics. Australasia is an extraordinary place to work in wildlife health because we have such unique and vulnerable fauna, but that also means the consequences of seemingly small changes can be enormous. I am increasingly conscious of the threat posed by emerging diseases, particularly high pathogenicity avian influenza (H5N1 bird flu). Watching the devastating impacts bird flu has had on wildlife populations, particularly within South America and the Southern Ocean makes the prospect of its introduction to New Zealand and Australia, and our Sub-Antarctic islands, deeply concerning. Our Sub-Antarctic ecosystems contain globally significant populations of seabirds and marine mammals, many of which breed in dense colonies and have very little exposure to diseases that are widespread elsewhere. The remoteness that makes these places so special also makes an outbreak incredibly difficult to respond to once it arrives. It has reinforced for me how important preparedness, surveillance and understanding baseline wildlife health are in the face of a crisis like H5 bird flu.

What types of day-to-day decisions would be beneficial for conservation in Australia and New Zealand?

I think some of the most important decisions are actually quite practical: what do we monitor, where do we put our resources, and how quickly do we respond when something changes? H5 bird flu has really highlighted the importance of having systems in place before an emerging disease reaches our shores. We need strong wildlife mortality surveillance, clear pathways for sample collection and testing, good communication between wildlife health professionals and government agencies, and contingency plans for responding to unusual mortality events. More broadly, I would like to see wildlife health integrated more consistently into conservation management. Decisions around pest control, translocations, captive breeding, habitat restoration and species recovery should consider disease and population health alongside ecology.

How has being involved in the WDA-A section helped you during your career/education journey and what advice might you have for prospective students?

The WDA-A has given me a valuable community within what can otherwise feel like a small and geographically dispersed field. I have met people working across pathology, veterinary medicine, ecology, epidemiology and conservation, and those connections have really broadened how I think about wildlife health. For students, my biggest advice is to follow your curiosity rather than trying to map out your entire career. Say yes to opportunities, volunteer, ask questions and engage in conversations - you never know what might arise from it. 

What is your favourite non-scientific activity and how do you find time for it?

I have a huge love of getting out and exploring wild and remote places, whether that is through long-distance hiking, expedition guiding or scuba diving. I relish any opportunity to experience healthy ecosystems firsthand - to see wildlife thriving in places that still feel truly wild. These experiences are also what keep me grounded when the emotional toll of wildlife health can become overwhelming. 

It is easy to get bogged down when considering the future for wildlife - what helps you stay motivated and positive in this field?

I think you have to find a balance between acknowledging how serious the threats facing wildlife are without becoming paralysed by them. Working in wildlife health, you see a lot of mortality and decline firsthand, and it can be difficult not to carry that with you. I am encouraged by the resilience of wildlife and by seeing what can happen when conservation efforts are successful. Ultimately, I try to focus on what I can contribute. I may not be able to solve the broader problems facing wildlife, but I can contribute good science, and hopefully provide information that allows us to make better decisions for the populations that remain.

Anything else you want to highlight/talk about? Favourite WDA-A memory?

Regardless of the location, or venue, WDA-A conferences are just like reliving school camp, except you are surrounded by a bunch of wonderfully quirky, passionate people talking enthusiastically about their life’s work late at night while out spotlighting for local wildlife. You will struggle to find a more empowering space! 

Member Spotlight! Shelly Butcher

Name: Shelly Butcher

Institution: The University of Queensland

Collecting samples from a critically endangered Nangur spiny skink (Nangura spinosa) as part of my PhD research, working alongside the DETSI recovery team.

Shelly, her PhD supervisor Laura Grogan and co-authors have recently published an important paper in the Australian Veterinary Journal describing novel fungal species responsible for Snake Fungal Disease in Australia. You can also read more about this in their article in The Conversation.

Year and type of graduate student program(s)/additional training:

2015: Bachelor of Science (Vet Bioscience), The University of Adelaide

2018: Doctor of Veterinary Medicine, The University of Adelaide

2022: Membership of ANZCVS by examination in Avian Medicine and Surgery

2022: Master of Veterinary Studies (Conservation Veterinary Medicine), Massey University. Thesis: “Pathogen prevalence and diversity in native and invasive New Zealand lizards”

2025 to present: Doctor of Philosophy, The University of Queensland. Thesis: “Understanding the threat of emerging fungal diseases in wild Australian reptiles”

What is it that attracted you to work on wildlife originally?

I was lucky enough to grow up in the Adelaide Hills, on a bush block across the road from a national park. We were surrounded by wildlife: koalas in the front yard, snakes in the house, and hours spent trying to catch little skinks in the garden. My dad was also a microbiologist, and I would regularly visit his lab, help dissect snails and birds to find novel parasites, and travel with the family to scientific conferences. This combination gave me a love of science, medicine, and nature, and by high school I had realised that being a wildlife vet was the perfect job for me.

What has attracted you to focus on amphibians and reptiles?

My love of herps started in childhood. My first pet was a green tree frog, which sparked an obsession with frogs and their health and disease. Learning about chytrid fungus was my first exposure to wildlife disease as a tangible threat to conservation, and from there my interest grew to reptiles.

My move to Aotearoa/New Zealand gave me my first real professional focus on reptiles. My masters project had me travelling to spectacular locations (including the crater of a volcano) to capture skinks and geckos to sample for pathogens. This project revealed to me just how neglected reptiles are in conservation veterinary medicine.

I have always seen herps as the "little guy" — the more commonly misunderstood and overlooked species. I try to represent and advocate for the smaller but no less important members of our ecosystems. This outlook is what led me to my PhD, which came about following some novel findings in lizards and snakes during my time as a clinical vet. More research was clearly needed, and it felt like fate that I should be the one to take it on!

A northern spotted skink (Oligosoma kokowai) on Matiu/Somes Island, sampled as part of my research at Massey University

How can WDA-A members find out more information about opportunities to work with these species and other native wildlife?

Getting involved with a university is a great way to find research and fieldwork experience. Masters and PhD students are always looking for volunteers, and it is a great way to get hands- on experience with wildlife in different settings. For clinicians, becoming a clinic representative for the Wildlife Health Australia Sentinel Surveillance Program is a fantastic way to contribute to larger data collection and wildlife disease surveillance programs. Attending conferences is also well worth it for expanding your network and getting exposed to different areas of wildlife health. If you are particularly into herpetology, the Australian Society of Herpetologists holds an annual conference run in a similar relaxed, school camp style to the Wildlife Disease Association Australasian (WDA-A) conference.

Administering a rabies vaccination to a wild African painted dog during our final year vet school trip to South Africa.

What are some key reflections for you about your work in the wildlife health field in Australasia?  

One of my biggest reflections is that there is always so much more to learn. I never feel like I have mastered any aspect of wildlife medicine, and I think that is what keeps it exciting.

There is a still a huge amount of research to be done in this field. Reptiles and amphibians remain particularly underfunded and under-researched, especially considering the high proportion of endangered species. More research and funding in this space are urgently needed, and I hope my work is going some way towards contributing to that. Wildlife hospitals are an invaluable and often underutilised source of data and knowledge, and I think clinicians should be better supported to engage in research alongside their clinical work.

This field is immense, and there are so many different roles for wildlife vets and nurses. If you stay determined and open to all sorts of pathways, you can absolutely make a career in wildlife health.

Restraining a southern giant petrel (Macronectes giganteus) during my residency at Wildbase Hospital.

What types of day-to-day decisions would be beneficial for conservation in Australia, particularly for herps?

Everyday actions to combat climate change will benefit all wildlife, but particularly herpetofauna. Rising temperatures stress wildlife and favour pathogen survival, and for ectotherms, disruptions to thermoregulation make them especially vulnerable. So, reducing our contribution to climate change is also a win for reptile health.

For herpers specifically, it is worth considering disease spread and animal stress before handling. Reptile enthusiasts are some of the most knowledgeable and passionate people I know, and herping is a wonderful way to connect with these species. Reducing unnecessary handling and practising good biosecurity between sites is a simple but meaningful step.

This ties into my broader concern around emerging disease. My PhD work has highlighted the real potential for disease introduction or spread in Australia if we are not careful, and reporting unusual findings or sick animals is something anyone can do.

With a Chilean rose tarantula (Grammostola rosea) at Wellington Zoo.

How has being involved in the WDA-A section helped you during your career and what advice might you have for prospective students?

Being part of the WDA-A completely changed my outlook on a career in conservation medicine. The WDA-A community has been encouraging and supportive and showed me that pursuing wildlife medicine is a viable and important career pathway. I have been privileged to learn from some incredibly knowledgeable zoo and wildlife vets within this community and found a real sense of belonging along the way.

My advice would be to be collaborative. There is so much knowledge locked in the brains of experienced wildlife vets that never makes it into print. Talk with your colleagues, as they may have seen or tried things that are not written down anywhere. I love that wildlife vets are approachable, practical, and just want the best outcome for wildlife.

Intubating a lioness during my residency at Wellington Zoo

What is your favourite non-scientific activity and how do you find time for it?

My two favourites are gardening and hiking. In the garden I am particularly interested in permaculture, syntropic farming, and native bush regeneration. When I am not in the garden, I am happiest out hiking, particularly through rainforests and woodlands.

Finding the time requires being quite strict with my work hours and protecting my weekends. Living surrounded by national parks and state forests means a stunning hike is never far away, a guaranteed way to get off the screens, clear my head, and come back reinvigorated. Most of my free time is spent outside in the garden, and when the weather is bad my board game collection keeps me entertained.

One of my favourite hikes, and the view from the top of Mt Taranaki is something else.

It is easy to get bogged down when considering the future for wildlife, what helps you stay motivated and positive in this field?

Working at wildlife hospitals can be relentless and heartbreaking as you see the day-to-day toll that humans are having on our wildlife. However, you witness amazing vets, nurses, and wildlife carers working around the clock to save animals and getting genuinely excited when a "lolly" comes in (a little treat in the form of a rare or particularly cool species). Seeing that enthusiasm in others is infectious and inspiring.

My hope is that future generations see the value in the natural world and start to make meaningful change to the way humans live alongside nature. For me, even a small contribution to increasing the chances of saving a species or restoring wildlife abundance feels worthwhile. Taking my niece and nephew on hikes and watching them get excited about the natural world is a reminder of why this work matters.

Inducing anaesthesia in a northern brown kiwi (Apteryx mantelli) at Wildbase Hospital.

Anything else you want to highlight/talk about? Favourite WDA-A memory?

My favourite WDA-A memory was my first ever WDA-A conference at Falls Creek, Victoria. It was my first experience being surrounded by passionate wildlife advocates who have dedicated their lives to conservation. I can be quite shy, but I found it easy to chat with WDA-A members, everyone was welcoming and just happy to talk about wildlife. I will never forget our ecologist keynote speaker giving the most captivating talk about mistletoe, inspiring me to think about conservation more broadly and reminding me that this organisation is about so much more than just wildlife disease.

Member spotlight! Andrew Hill

This month the spotlight the exciting work of our member Andrew!

Name: Andrew Hill Institution: Currumbin Wildlife Hospital                                       

Andrew at Currumbin Wildlife Hospital

Year and type of graduate student program(s)/additional training:

• 2005 – BVSc (Hons), University of Sydney

• 2008 – MVSc (Wildlife Health), Massey University, New Zealand

• 2009 – MANZCVS (Avian Health)

• 2024 – Churchill Fellow

What is it that attracted you to work on wildlife originally?

I grew up on the NSW coast, watching the local bushland shrink under pressure from development, bushfire, and floods. We were often first responders, but there was frequently very little we could do.  When I realized that veterinary training could allow me to genuinely make a difference for wildlife, it quickly became the focus of my professional life. I have always been particularly curious about Australian native species, and early on I was struck by how many gaps existed in our understanding of their veterinary care. I waded in the deep end, and twenty years later I am still happily working away at those same questions. 

nvestigating respiratory disease in a carpet python at Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary in 2005

What has attracted you to focus on wildlife rehabilitation?

Wildlife care is a challenging and often resource-limited field, but it has enormous potential to create positive change for animals and communities alike. Wildlife hospitals are increasingly contributing beyond individual cases—supporting prevention, building knowledge, and helping to shape real-world solutions.

What keeps me engaged is the genuine and ongoing need for better services and science to improve outcomes for wildlife and people. Wildlife medicine and rehabilitation are surprisingly people-focused professions, and I am continually encouraged by the opportunity to learn from, and contribute to, these diverse and passionate communities.

Conducting health checks during a Great Spotted (Roroa) Kiwi translocation while a resident at the New Zealand Wildlife Health Centre in 2006.

How can WDA-A members find out more information about this field?

Start locally—get to know the wildlife in your area and the challenges that they face. Connect with the people and organisations already making a difference and consider how your skills or time could support them. Volunteering or working alongside rehabilitators and wildlife hospitals is one of the best ways to build strong foundations.

There are also increasing opportunities to network and learn through professional bodies like the WDA, Wildlife Health Australia, and the International Wildlife Rehabilitation Council (IWRC). For a broader perspective, my Churchill Fellowship report provides a snapshot of some overseas institutions working in this space.

Koala medicine has advanced considerably (as have our ultrasound machines) with admissions from injury and disease becoming increasingly common.

 What are some key reflections for you about your work in the wildlife health field in Australasia?  

Foremost is the amazing and supportive nature of our wildlife health community. It is hard not to be optimistic working alongside such a talented and dedicated group of professionals, and this is fortunate as collaboration is the key to long-term success.  

Second is that wildlife health issues are changing, often rapidly, and there are ongoing needs to improve knowledge, resources and funding to ensure we are intervening appropriately.

With the right team (Allison and Kate), anaesthetising Eastern Bristlebirds to attach radio-transmitters in the field can be a lot of fun - even when they weigh less than a golf ball!

What types of day-to-day decisions would be beneficial for conservation in Australia?

Most wildlife impacts are anthropogenic, so meaningful conservation requires collective action. Reducing impacts requires informed, science-based decision-making at every level, even in our backyards.  

For wildlife professionals, acting collectively includes recording and sharing knowledge, collaborating across sectors, and prioritising preventative rather than purely reactive involvement. While we are trained problem-solvers, we are rarely the ones implementing large-scale solutions ourselves—so we need to package ideas in ways others can engage with, own, and act upon.

 As community members, simply promoting the value of wildlife can go a long way. In the long-term, one of the most impactful decisions can be encouraging someone else on their conservation journey.

Currumbin became the ideal place to combine avian and wildlife medicine, with no shortage of lorikeets. The facilities have developed over time, but so to have the threats to urban-dwelling parrots.

How has being involved in the WDA-A section helped you during your career and what advice might you have for prospective students?

Being involved opens doors to connections and opportunities and provides some perspective when you start out. A significant portion of wildlife medicine still exists in people’s heads (rather than written down), so being part of a network provides access to shared knowledge, resources, and just as importantly—fun, laughter and support. My advice is to get involved early, ask lots of questions, have fun, and value the people around you as much as your end goal. 

Even on busy days, the hustle and camaraderie of the treatment room is infectious. Andrew and Renee assess a pelican admitted for fishing hook injuries.

What is your favourite non-scientific activity and how do you find time for it?

I try to balance working with unwell animals and ecosystems by spending time in healthy ones. Hiking with family and friends is particularly restorative, and a good reminder of what we are working to protect. The beaches at Currumbin are a short walk from the hospital so we have no excuse not to take a break.

Treating  koalas is a rewarding challenge whether they are in the wild, in Australian zoos or overseas.

It is easy to get bogged down when considering the future for wildlife, what helps you stay motivated and positive in this field?

Despite regularly seeing the worst of our impacts on wildlife, I remain overwhelmingly optimistic. Maintaining clarity, curiosity, and community are what help me to continue moving forward.

A clear and realistic vision for the future helps frame the big picture and provides perspective on difficult days. Staying curious about each patient and problem creates learning opportunities and can turn failure into progress. My community of wildlife veterinarians, nurses, keepers, rehabilitators and volunteers—who are a wonderfully joyful, eclectic and inspiring group—make it hard not to enjoy our work. Find an infectious community and hold onto it. 

Imping a blue and gold macaw as a native species at CETRAS, Sao Paulo, Brazil, on the first stop of a worldwide Churchill Fellowship in 2025.

Anything else you want to highlight/talk about? Favourite WDA-A memory?

It is such a great time to be involved in wildlife health, whether you are seeking tools, support, connections or a voice. Partnering with others is essential—not just for opportunities and longevity in the field, but as the positive glue that keeps you going. Reach out and build those connections throughout your journey.

My favourite WDA memory is the combined international conference on the Sunshine Coast in 2015. Seeing seemingly disparate projects align in ways that were genuinely useful for the Australian context - and meeting veterinarians from overseas who were tackling similar challenges - was both inspiring and affirming.

Andrew joins Dr Nic Masters at Toronto Zoo to discuss zoo-based conservation facilities in 2025.