Annie Pagé: Conservation Through The Lens of Wildlife Pathology (Episode #3)

Written By Callum Armstrong

(Note: you can also listen to this episode on YouTube or Spotify)

Why do we post-mortem and study wildlife after it dies?

How does pathology influence our understanding of biodiversity trends at a species level?

And what risks does the potential arrival of avian influenza pose to Aotearoa New Zealand’s birds?

In this episode, we are joined by Annie Pagé, wildlife pathologist resident at Massey University, subantarctic sea lion researcher, and ⁠Heritage Expeditions⁠ tour guide.

Here are some of the things we discussed:

  • Why pathology and mortality studies are an important tool in helping threatened wildlife.

  • How pathology affects our big-picture understanding of species trends and informs policy-making.

  • The potential risk of avian influenza reaching our shores.

  • The almost 50% decline in NZ sea lion pups around the Auckland Islands over the last 20 years.

  • Our trip to the subantarctic islands with Heritage Expeditions.

  • The transformational impact of exposing people to wild places.

  • A day in the life of a wildlife pathologist.

  • What conservation means to Annie.

  • And more…

👩About Annie:

Annie Pagé started her life’s adventure in the Otago Peninsula, where the ocean became an integral part of her identity. Throughout her diverse conservation career, she has worked with a wide range of species, including albatross, penguins, sea lions and species further afield in Australia, Patagonia and South Africa. 

Annie has sailed the South Pacific monitoring the state of our oceans, spent time in the African bush dehorning rhino to help combat the poaching crisis, studied NZ sea lions in the subantarctic islands, researched penguin population dynamics in remote Patagonia, served on the New Zealand UNESCO Youth Panel, spoken at APEC and UN events, sat on the New Zealand Conservation Board, been on the board of the Tasmanian Wildlife Hospital and establishing Kaikōura Wildlife Hospital, and more.

These days, she works as a wildlife pathology resident at Massey University, where her input contributes towards important outcomes such as policy making and gaining a better understanding of mortality trends in wild species.

🔗Learn more:

🎙️About the podcast:

The People Helping Nature podcast is brought to you by Conservation Amplified, a registered New Zealand charity that’s on a mission to make biodiversity conservation mainstream.

We do this by bringing a megaphone to the world of conservation by featuring people from all walks of life who are doing interesting and important things to help nature thrive. We aim to make it easy for everyone to learn, understand, take action, and feel like they’re a part of the solution.

Find out more about Conservation Amplified at www.conservationamplified.org.

🔗Connect with us:

Callum Armstrong
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Carmel Richardson & Graeme Young: Forest Guardians And The Battle For Kōkako (Episode #4)
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Wayne O’Keefe: What Does a Healthy Ecosystem Look Like in Aotearoa New Zealand? (Episode #2)