Peter Karsten worked with the Calgary Zoo for 32 years, he began his career as a zookeeper in 1962 and was later promoted to Zoo Director (CEO) in 1974 until his retirement in 1994. He was born in Germany, and studied agriculture at Uppsala University in Sweden before immigrating to Canada in 1962 with his wife, Margarit.

Peter has won many awards, and even had Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA) name a prestigious national award after him: the Peter Karsten In-Situ Conservation Award.

In 2013, he launched WPC’s Taylor’s Checkerspot Butterfly Recovery Program, helping to save one of Canada’s most critically endangered insect species. He is both an Honorary Director and a member of the Scientific Advisory Council for WPC. Since retiring, Peter and Margarit have lived on Denman Island, British Columbia, where they care for a menagerie of birds and other wildlife on their property. Peter also leads the Purple Martin Preservation Project on the island, supporting the beautiful purple martin!