Wild about animals 'A ZOO CHANGED MY LIFE'

Karen's pored the heartbreak of losing her beloved husband into Wellington's thriving menagerie

- Ruth Jillings

After the love of her life died at 49, Karen Fifield made a promise to live a life worthy of them both.

This commitment to seize the day saw her jump the ditch from Australia to New Zealand to take up her dream job as chief executive at Wellington Zoo in 2006.

“I need to achieve things because he missed out on so much,” says Karen, who was with Garry for 20 years and knows he would be proud of her achievements. “Garry was my one great love and I’m very grateful that I had as long as I did. Not everyone gets that.”

In 2017, she received the New Zealand Order of Merit for Services to Business and Animal Welfare, and this year she was appointed the President for the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, a global alliance focused on conservation and animal welfare.

“It’s the first time a New Zealander has held this position and I’m only the fourth woman in 88 years,” says Karen, 68. “It really highlights how much we can do on a global scale from New Zealand. We don’t have the biggest or richest zoos in the world, but we all do really interesting work.

“Animal welfare is my thing. Our animals live here, so we have to make sure they have the very best lives possible. You can feel the heart we have in the zoo.”