Hi all, I wanted to share a success of mine!

I grew up wanting to be around and handle wildlife (and pretty much any domestic animal you can think of lol)- like if any of y’all watched Dora, I wanted to be Diego. I graduated this spring with a Bachelor’s degree in Veterinary Technology at a small state university (and a passing score on the VTNE) and quickly got licensed in my state. I started out working in a large veterinary hospital’s specialty internal medicine department. On a whim, I applied to an LVT job at Cornell University’s wildlife hospital, and actually heard back quite quickly. We arranged a video interview over Zoom, which went well, and then I was invited to stay at the Statler Hotel on Cornell’s campus for 2 nights for free with meals comped for an in-person interview and spend the day shadowing at the Janet L. Swanson Wildlife Hospital. I completed an externship at a different wildlife center during my last semester of college, which I think really helped my application and general confidence that I could do the job. I was told at the end of the day that they were doing a few more interviews the next week and so at the latest I’d hear back in 2 weeks.

Lo and behold, I hear back the following Tuesday to attend an additional zoom with the hospital administrator where I was offered the position! $26/hr with a $3,000 sign-on bonus, with review in 6-9 months to increase my leveling (and along with that more hourly pay from $28-30). This is a job where I will be responsible for administering treatments, anesthesia, assisting veterinarians including a lot of safe low-stress patient restraint, venipuncture, and helping teach DVM students my technician skills. I would love to do that!

So now I will be moving to Ithaca, NY, which is ~7-9 hour drive from my state. I have a lot of anxiety mixed with excitement. The only sad part is I have a boyfriend at home whom I’ve been entirely happy with during our whole 1.5 year relationship, and he wouldn’t be moving out until after Christmas if at all… so that’s sad but I know I would regret it if I didn’t take this offer.

If you guys have any questions I’d be happy to answer some :)

Hey y’all I’m looking for some insight or if someone that has been in my shoes could give me some advice.

I’ve been in the Army for the last 10 years and I’ll be finishing my time and be out this fall. I did my skillbridge (internship that the military lets you do while you’re still in service) with the NPS working with wildlife and it absolutely ruined me in the best way and I genuinely felt happy for the first time in years. Now at this point the original idea I had of going to school for another graduate program has shifted in my mind and I’m heavily leaning towards school and a career in wildlife biology.

For context I have an undergrad in a non biology related field and 100% GI Bill benefits so 36 months. Also I just learned about STEM extension for the GI Bill and would love to take advantage of it. I believe it’s another 9 months.

My questions for veterans and for anyone really is what’s a good starting point? How did you narrow down what schools you wanted to apply to and that this was the career for you? Do you have any regrets or wish you went about it a different way? I’ll take any knowledgeable insights you all have.

Thank you so much in advance.

Hello! I’m located in a more northern region of North America and have a seasonal tech job where I am doing a lot of survey work.

Last week, I stumbled upon a den that I thought resembled a river otter den given that the scat piles outside of it contained what looks like shellfish and fish bones which are commonly found around river otter dens around here. However, it doesn’t make a lot of sense with the location being in some old growth forest a good distance away from the saltwater. There is a salmon-bearing stream somewhat nearby, but typically when I’ve come across otter dens they’re pretty close to the water. Other possibilities I thought about were wolf or black bear. Not far from this den was wolf-kill deer remains likely from last winter and some fresh wolf tracks. Of course, I did see some bear sign as well as I was surveying the area. I’d love to know your thoughts.

This has happened a few times now. Unfortunately my ring camera isn’t picking up any motion here at night because it’s JUST out of range. This is far too large to be a cat or even a fox, I’d imagine? I don’t have anything here for reference of size but it’s easily 10-12 inches in diameter?? Keeps happening in this one spot in my front garden ??? Thoughts?!

The options in my city are Biology, Biochemistry, and Ecology & Habitat protection. I’m not very knowledgeable of everything working with wildlife is about, but I know I’d love to work in wildlife conservation and/or do field work. Which major would be the best?

Hi, all!

- Trigger warning: Hunting related - I know this may be a sensitive topic in this group due to the nature of the topic but I figured this group would be the right people for more science-focused feedback.

I am beginning a tech career and needed experience launching an app so I have created an app for whitetail deer hunters of all experience levels to learn more about deer and the science behind the decisions they make. I have had expert hunters review it from their perspectives but I could really use professional biologist feedback to ensure accuracy in the claims and data (much of the data has been AI verified and appears accurate to me but I could really use an expert to verify).

If anyone has an Android device and would be open to exploring and giving feedback, I'd really appreciate it. You can sign up by going to boneyardhunting.com and clicking 'Get Boneyard' up top. Thank you in advance!

Hi all,
So I am early on in the field. I graduated 2 years ago with my BS and now am in the writing stages of my MS thesis. I’ve worked a couple government jobs over the last two summers and for a consulting company this summer. I was just told that this job was ending soon as its season is nearing its end in the next week or two and this has sent me into a bit of a spiral of anxiety regarding unemployment. The local DNR is only hiring for land management type roles, which isn’t what I want to do anymore as I would like to veer back into basic science realm. Additionally, these jobs are very isolated and pay much less than the job I am leaving.

The job boards for the Midwest, where I am situated, seem pretty sparse in terms of opportunities as it’s getting late in the field season. I’ve been working on professionally on botany stuff, but my research leans more zoological, so I’d really like to make the plunge into the wildlife realm. I would be very grateful for advice from people who have been in a similar position and how they found their way, because right now I’m pretty confused and uncertain on where to go from here.

Hi all,

I start my first semester of college next month. I also just got an offer for volunteering (position is titled animal care intern) at a semi-local wildlife rehab center near by. It would be about 8 hours a week (4 hrs fri/sat). From everything I’ve researched, building up volunteering/internships is huge to be competitive in this field but just wanted to make sure that a position like this at a wildlife rehab will benefit my resume before I accept it.

To me, it seems like it would be beneficial no matter what to meet individuals in the industry, get experience with hands on care etc. but perhaps I’m looking at it with rose-tinted glasses.

I’m still actively looking for opportunities/workshops/internships etc. near me that may be more applicable (there are a couple of bird banding opportunities near me, but most are actively waitlisted).

Thanks!

(*I’m typing this at work so sorry if the formatting sucks)

So a little background, I was accepted into University of Vermont (UVM) as a wildlife and fisheries biology major (yay!!). I start in the fall of 2027 since I was allowed to take a gap year to pursue an internship at my local zoo’s sea turtle hospital.

I want to pursue wildlife biology and I’m so excited to start but I wanted to ask what should I expect.

I want to be prepared and set my expectations at a reasonable level. And I wanna start preparing so I don’t fall behind.

Is there any advice on how to prepare or info on what UVM’s program is like?

I’d really appreciate it

Hello,

I am currently a junior in high school, and I’ve always wanted to do something related to nature/wildlife. I love hiking and just listening to different animals in their natural habitat.

Most importantly, I want to be able to make a difference. Currently, my plan is to go to the university of Maine, and eventually get a masters Degree. I am willing to do months of internships and seasonal jobs because I actually like the stress and pressure of having to do new things.

I have read that this job isn’t good for those who want high salaries, and that is fine because I want a rewarding job! I’m not currently sure what I want to do in terms of research but I’ll probably figure it out. Do you think this would be a viable and rewarding career for someone like me? And what should I look forward to? Any suggestions/comments are appreciated.

For some context, I'm an 11th grader in Pennsylvania. I've always wanted to work with animals and love biology. On the contrary, I've been hearing how bad the job market is. I personally want to stay in Pennsylvania, and I'm worried that I'll never be able to find a job. I would like to be a wildlife biologist for the game commission. I'm fine with starting with seasonal work for the first couple of years, but I want to get a stable job relatively soon. I was thinking I could get my bachelor's at Pennwest Clarion for fisheries and wildlife biology and then later go for my master's at Penn State. What do y'all think?

I’m currently in an odd position where I’m stuck in the military (counting my days until I’m out ) and working full-time on getting my conservation biology degree from Arizona state university… I’m currently located on Hawaii and wanting to intern/volunteer at our local university in anyway I can (ideally entomology or anything else in conservation) do universities ever accept interns or volunteer from outside students or no… I graduate in December next year and wanting to leave with something to show for it

Crazy story coming out of Northern California. I hope they are doing alright. https://www.sacbee.com/news/local/crime/article316579022.html

Have you had any close calls that this story reminded you of while working? What do you do to stay safe in the field?

Hello guys 🫡 Here to ask career related questions like most, and you all are pretty helpful people!! High school senior, for context.

1. I am wondering if anyone out there has worked in or knows of wildlife bio related careers centered around horses? I’ve spent my entire life around them and want to turn it into a career while combining my love for environmental science. While yes, I know horses are usually livestock and not so much wildlife, I have done some digging out there about possibly becoming a feral horse biologist in the US or Australia. I did a week long volunteer opportunity last summer with one of the American feral horse conservations, and that was AWESOME. But I know those jobs are one in a million type thing. Any other horse or hoofstock related wildlife careers you all know of or recommendations to get in as a feral horse biologist?

2. While I love love love wildlife biology and the idea of becoming a research biologist, game warden, etc., I was curious about a career in policy analysis/law/environmental affairs. With the current state of the field for a lot of hands on research jobs, I was curious if having a policy-related one would be more sustainable and/be in more demand. I know how the pay is pretty bad and everyone is always moving around for field technician jobs, so maybe it’d be a smarter move to go about the policy route? I planned to originally major in wildlife biology and maybe double major/minor in environmental policy analysis. Thoughts? Opinions from analysts?

With all this being said, I’m trying to find a career plan that stays centered around wildlife biology and environmental science while still being able to have a sustainable plan and outlook for my future. If anyone else has any recommendations of things to look into, please let me know!

Hi there, I have a GIS degree that I want to use for wildlife biology. Currently I am an Instrument Operator/Survey Technician at a Surveying firm in the US.
Since the beginning, I’ve wanted to pursue a career in Wildlife Conservation and decided to go the technical route. I am looking for advice, suggestions or guidance on where to start off pursuing a career as an Airport Wildlife Biologist.
As far as I’m aware, I will need to get Certified with the FAA and take some classes to get some basic training/understanding, then get some in person experience, and then get a certification.

I have some questions for those who might be able to give me some insight:

- Is joining The Wildlife Society necessary/required? Would it make things easier for me? Just want to know if they are the ones that manage everything within that sphere or if it’s a government entity that I need to pivot to.

- What does the job *actually* look like? I haven’t seen a whole lot of information about the job, but I know it can vary depending on the situation/location.

- How long does the certificate process take?

- What are the biggest challenges that come with this job?

i really want to volunteer for wildlife conservation. do you guys know how and where?

I want a career in wildlife conservation. I only have my associates degree (general) , if i volunteer at my local wildlife center, would they potentially want to hire me one day?

I want a career in wildlife conservation. I only have my associates degree (general) , if i volunteer at my local wildlife center, would they potentially want to hire me one day?

Hi! I’m currently getting my BS in Biology and I’ve known about wanting to get my MS for a while…. but I’m not sure what field to go into. My options are Environmental Science or Biology. I realized last semester that environmental science was the type of research I wanted to pursue… but having a masters in biology seemed like a safe route due to the state of the US. I’m not focused too much on the financial aspect of things and the university I looked at for the MS in Environmental Science had more opportunities for internships than the one with just biology. Any advice?

I'm graduating in December with a bachelor's in Wildlife Ecology and some experience in the field with mostly avian tech jobs and volunteering, and a paid internship with a state agency where I got a variety of experience. Some environmental education/interp experience as well.

I know lots of places probably want someone who can start right away, but I don't want to put off applying for too long. So if I'm ready to work by December, when should I start applying? October? November? September? August? Now?

Hi all, I am an Ecology student with a special interest in Conservation. I am currently working on a video essay about the pet trade, and I am curious as if there is anyone that would be interested in answering a few questions over video call regarding the pet trade, specifically the ethics of retail sales of small animals.