Dr Lisa Argilla, MNZM, of Dunedin, for services to animal welfare and conservation
Dr Lisa Argilla, of Dunedin, for services to animal welfare and conservation
Dr Lisa Argilla is one of New Zealand’s most accomplished wildlife veterinarians. She is the Founder and Director of Dunedin’s Wildlife Hospital. She was Veterinary Science Manager at Wellington Zoo, where she helped to establish the hospital as a world-class native wildlife treatment facility. She has been involved with the Kea Conservation Trust, the Kākāpō and Takahē Recovery Groups, the Yellow-Eyed Penguin Trust, and the Department of Conservation. She provided hand-rearing and veterinary support during the 2016 kākāpo breeding season. Dr Argilla is well-known for her successful treatment of ‘Happy Feet,’ the emperor penguin that got stranded in New Zealand on its way back to Antarctica in 2011.