A DAY IN THE LIFE OF: Catherine Roughton

Meet Catherine Roughton, Native Fauna & Domestic Animals Manager – Orana Wildlife Park (Christchurch)

Conservation is a core part of Orana’s mission and the key reason for the park to exist. I manage a team of ten highly-skilled native fauna practitioners who contribute to DOC recovery programmes for some of New Zealand’s most threatened wildlife, for example breeding kākāriki karaka, New Zealand’s rarest parakeet, for release to the wild.

Blue duck/whio © Orana Wildlife Park

My work day starts with a team planning session to ensure we meet objectives. We are absolutely privileged to have some of this country’s most precious and unique species in our care and it’s crucial we maintain optimal welfare for them to maximise their breeding success.

Orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki © Kim Free @ Orana Wildlife Park

The favourite part of my work day is watching team members develop. Everyone on the team carries out a range of tasks that ultimately result in making genuine contributions to conservation of New Zealand wildlife. I also really enjoy seeing our visitors engage with wildlife and learning how they can assist conservation efforts, such as keeping a dog on a leash to protect adult kiwi.

Orange-fronted parakeet/kākāriki chick © Orana Wildlife Park

The career highlight I’m most proud of? There are many! In 2020, we opened a habitat for New Zealand’s Maud Island/Hamilton’s frogs. This technologically-advanced exhibit replicates the wild environment on Maud Island in every respect. The ultimate aim of our frog research facility is to reliably breed these cryptic animals in captivity, which has not been achieved globally to date.

Maud Island/Hamilton’s frog © Orana Wildlife Park

In my free time, I’m a Southern girl so I love to venture around the Otago Peninsula. The wild dramatic and rugged coastlines are amazing and of course the wildlife – such as penguins and albatross, is simply awesome. My next favourite spot would be the Bay of Islands.