Wild Hero: Professor Phil Bishop

Wild Dunedin — Apr 11, 2021

Professor Phil Bishop, of Otago University, helped create Wild Dunedin in 2016. The 2021 Wild Hero Award was presented to Professor Bishop’s family during the 2021 Wild Dunedin Festival. It was a very sad start to 2021 with the news of Phil’s death. We are part of a long list of people, academics, students and conservationists, who considered Phil Bishop a true Wild Hero.

Possibly his greatest gift was teaching and inspiring the next generation to care. 

The late Professor Frog aka Dr Phil Bishop. Image: Graham Warman Photography

Phil Bishop pictured with two of his students Taylor Davies-Colley (left) and Samuel Purdie (right) at the launch of our 2020 Festival that was postponed due to Covid-19. Image by: John Burke

We will miss Phil’s knowledge, passion, humour and commitment to protect the environment, especially frogs.

Here is a video on Phil's work with Archey frogs - our very rare and unusual native frog.

Archey & Friends - A Helping Hand for the Future Archey Frog

We are part of a long list of people, academics, students and conservationists, who considered Phil a true Wild Hero.