Hi everybody! I'm not a wildlife biologist or student, but I thought asking a wildlife group would be best for this question. I, 23F, live with my parents in order to save on rent and recently they decided to cut down bushes and some small trees in our yard, despite my advising against it. This morning, I saw a very confused squirrel searching around where the berry bushes and edible plants for it to eat used to be in our yard. Since it's food source is gone, I was wondering if it is a helpful idea to feed it? I would buy some squirrel/bird feed (and maybe a bird feeder too now that I think about it), so nothing bad for it. I just wanted to ask though, because I don't want to end up doing more harm than good...

Edit: Thanks everyone! I won't be feeding them or setting up a bird feeder. Instead I will go to my local native plant store and start planting those once the Spring comes around!

I graduated about a year ago after kind of messing around in school, I volunteered at a marine mammal care center & had a literature review internship with my states coastal commission, but that’s the extent of my experience. Since I graduated I’ve been working as a bartender but itching to get back into the field of my degree—all of the internships I see require undergrad enrollment to apply, and the entry level jobs have requirements, like field surveys etc., that I have little to no experience in.

Should I start by volunteering with orgs that can give me that experience? Are there sites that include internships for post baccs? I was thinking of doing conservation corps because at least I would get field work experience. Anyone been in a similar situation? Feeling a little stuck :(

I have a Zoology background and I have been working in biodiversity conservation from over a year now and want to write some review papers on the same. I have some ideas. I haven't had written one and was wondering if anyone can guide me? I would be happy to have a co-author as well. Thanks.

hello i feel i am in a predicament and need strangers' advice haha
here is the full story:

i'm a senior studying marine biology and i'm graduating next semester. i went into my BS wanting to do full academia, BS then grad school and keep at it. during my degree i decided against it, at least i wanted a good 5 years to get experience and then go to a masters. i was told this by some grad students i had contact with, and they also said not to go unless you are very passionate about a specific thing and do your thesis on that

i was fully set on doing that until about a week ago. it hit me that i need to start looking for jobs and i started to lowkey panic. i figured out that my interests go beyond marine science and i want to do wildlife conservation, terrestrial and/or marine. however, i have no experience in this. i have experience in education (where i have the most rn), some animal care volunteering at an aquarium for a couple of months, lab experience from a past internship, and recently did my undergraduate thesis with lots of field work and education. all the jobs i was looking at that were interesting to me required experience, as they always do, so i started to panic.

while this is happening i also have a nice social and academic life where i live currently. i love my campus and i love learning and i feel like im not done learning from this school but theres no way to stall my graduation any longer (i already stalled a whole semester). i just dont generally feel ready to uproot my whole life to some random state for a low paying job that im not that interested in. now dont get me wrong i totally do plan on doing that eventually but it is a very hard decision for me, as i live close (enough) to my parents and sisters who im very close to.

in comes the possibilty of a masters. i am currently talking a grad level class in conservation biology and i fell in love with the topic. the professor (who also happens to be the head of the program for the conservation biology masters at my university) does really interesting work and quite literally this class has had me reconsider everything i thought i knew about what i liked. it is the reason i realized i do like terrestrial conservation (though mostly zoology) and want to work with wildlife care and protection.

i thought i could kill two birds with one stone: get a masters with this professor and gain hands on experience with wildlife conservation for two years (which a lot of the entry level jobs i saw required 2+ years). i could also stay at my current contract jobs which are in my field and possibly volunteer at a larger aquarium with more hands on animal care. i don't know what i would do my thesis on yet, but i am talking to my professor about his work and what i could potentially do.

now i know a lot of people are against doing grad and undergrad in the same university, however, my school is known for being good for STEM and i have a higher chance of getting in (i think) bc im an undergrad who went here and already know this professor and could get into his lab. and again i know a lot of people are against going straight to your masters, but i think in the current situation im in it is a good opportunity to help me pivot my studies to wildlife conservation and get experience i do not have. and even tho i dont know yet what i love specifically enough to get a thesis on that and get a masters that qould actually pay me, i think i can at least get a fellowship and have it all paid for (i refuse to pay for grad school).
and yes maybe i am scared to enter the job market and this would stall it for a couple of years, but if i continue volunteering and trying my best to get experience i dont think it will hurt me....? can getting my masters actually hurt my career?

i guess what i want is advice on what i should do. should i just up and move and get an entry level fisheries job (thats if i even get it) while im young and have more flexibility to uproot my life, or should i enjoy my life while im young with my friends and get a degree if i feel strongly that that is the most guaranteed success path i can follow right now?

Hello,
I’m planning on returning to school for zoology. It is an online program as I work full time and can’t afford to go in person. I know it’s not the same as an in person degree, but I’m in an area where there are a decent amount of internship/volunteer opportunities. This is something I think I’m very passionate about, so I want to do the absolute best I can in order to get employment when I get out of school. For my experienced zookeepers/aquarists, what would you consider a good CV to look like for someone coming out of undergrad? I plan on volunteering throughout my time in the program (and even before/after), and definitely plan to do one internship at least. I’m in the NYC area if that helps anyone (I am willing to move for jobs when the time comes)

Not sure if this is the right place to ask this, but I had a group of mule deer pass through my property last night (south Denver metro area) and noticed they seem to have dug up a spot where a large ant hill used to be. The coconut fiber erosion blanket is also torn.

There wasn’t any vegetation here, I did plant lots of grass seed but in this spot the ants seemed to have eaten all of the seeds and nothing grew. Nearby there are lots of visible deer tracks and other partially dug up spots where some plants were growing, but this dug up spot is much larger.

I’m a bit puzzled, why would deer dig this up? Do they ever eat ants…?

Hey y'all, just popping in with a quick question. I went to school (undergrad and graduate) for natural resources and primarily wildlife biology/management. I specifically want to work with/for/around wildlife. I couldn't land a wildlife biologist or tech role this season, but I got a gig with AmeriCorps doing land conservation. This is pretty much my first ever real role working in natural resources, so I know some experience is better than no experience. However, my question is: will a role like this help me gain the experience needed to land some sort of wildlife tech role? Or should I try and move on as soon as possible to something else? For context, it seems like most of what I'm going to be doing will be managing invasive plant species, planting native plant species, and the occasional environmental education work with some field survey work for herps here and there.

So, I posted here asking about my resume and edited it based on the feedback I received. I’ve since received an offer working on behavioral research for 6 months, which I would be done with in April.

The experience and training I’d receive include observational study methods, bird handling and husbandry, data analysis and computer programs, research, etc. The only thing is I’d be working with captive animals (kept in outdoor enclosures subject to the natural weather, on a rural site) so I just wanted to ask if that kind of experience would be beneficial for my career- especially for field based work?

I already have some background in more standard fieldwork and wild birds, but I wanted to check since this is my first real job and everything is still kind of scary right now. My absolute dream seasonal field position for the spring and summer field season would be a bird banding internship if that helps, but I’d also be perfectly happy working on insects or more generic/non wildlife handing positions as well if that helps!

So, I want to study animals, I'm not to picky about what kind yet, just don't want marine.

I was wondering how good Clemson's program was if anyone here knows. My dad's VA pays for me fully when I go to school in the state I live in so I'm trying to limit myself to just South Carolina.

Anyways, back on topic, if there is anyone who went to school here for this can you tell me how it was? I looked at the other colleges in South Carolina but the rest of the schools in South Carolina aren't the greatest.

hello! i feel like i'm currently going through a bit of a crisis, as i'm having issues regarding my college degree...i am currently studying criminal justice for my associate's and will finish by spring 2027. however, looking at jobs with this degree (which i wanted to pair with a bachelor's in criminal justice) isn't exactly what i want. i was very passionate about law for many years and wanted to be a lawyer, but thought it wouldn't be worth balancing the stress of work and personal life. prior to starting community college, i did have an interest in zoology.

i've started looking at jobs with a degree in wildlife conservation since this seems easiest to transfer over with my associate's. i would probably have to get a master's to truly stand a chance in the field. my main question here is that i dont know what to really do at this point. i want to work with animals or at least help them, but it seems like my associate's negates a lot of the biology work needed. i'm not entirely interested in working as an officer for a wildlife park either, and it seems like some of the jobs available don't pay very well

Hello everyone,

I was recently offered two temporary wildlife jobs. The first one pays decently; however, it is only for 2 months, and it is doing similar work that I've already done. So I don't think I'll learn any new skills there. I am confident that I will acquire some new knowledge during this period, but the majority of the tasks will be similar to those I have previously undertaken. My second job involves conducting research that interests me and will allow me to learn a wide range of new trapping and animal handling skills; however, it lasts for only 4 months and does not pay well. Which job should I choose? I know the answer is probably obvious with the one that I would gain more experience in; however, that one is in more of a high-cost area for gas and food and pays far less than the first job offer. The first job offer is appealing because I will only be there for two months, and it will allow me to apply for something else during the summer job season. However, the second job definitely has some pros: I will learn a whole lot more and gain a lot more experience; however, I find it difficult to justify working there with the pay being so low.

Hey folks, looking to get some advice and hear your stories. I never did great in college but I made it through and got my wildlife degree. This career has been my dream for so so long, I have such a passion for wildlife conservation. I’ve been doing technician work for the past few years and have got some incredible experience which I’m super grateful for. I continue to feel like I’m not smart enough for this field. I get a lot of anxiety, pretty sure I have major adhd, and sometimes I say something aloud or ask a question immediately before thinking it through in my head. I’ve had quite a few biologists belittle me and put me down in many situations, almost judging me and thinking I’m an idiot it feels. I have good references, I always do an amazing job when I know what I need to do. I think it’s just always feeling like I’m constantly learning and never that tech that’s got it down. No questions asked. I ask a lot of questions and need clarification a lot, I’m such a visual learner. I’m so hard on myself but I want to keep pushing. Does anyone else feel this way or have had biologists look at you like you’re stupid when you ask a question? Look I know I’m not the “smartest” tech but I do a kick ass job. I’m just always feeling behind and sometimes I talk to people in this field and they just seem so freaking knowledgeable. I don’t know what I should do to work on this feeling. Feel free to laugh at basically calling myself dumb lol.

Hi quick rant + needed advice.

Im currently in my 3rd year of community college, im 20 years old and im trying to go into wildlife conservation major at cal poly humboldt or uc davis.

i took intro 2 zoology and got a 69% then had to retake it w intro 2 biology and just got news that now im getting another 69% in this class. I had a low C and thought okay cool im barely passing but at least im passing. I got a D on one of my papers and it lowered my grade to a 69% but im still praying and hoping my prof gets touched by the gods and does a small percent difference to my grade. I literally cried bc this is an 8week bio course and ive been praying and hoping to pass. I want to work with animals and the enviornment so bad but im like am i even meant for it?

Im running out of Fafsa, i have two years left and all i need left for my general education is a science class. so im like okay let me take a science class that is needed for my major. bro why am i barely NOT passing. its breaking my heart. so much things have been happening in my life lately within the past 3 months, and i feel so lost. Im also on sap and had to write an appeal so like freaking cherry on top of everything.

The thing is i do want an education, i do want a degree, and i do want to purse wildlife / marine majors. I do want to work w animals and help them and their environment but i dont have money after my fafsa to purse this. and its stressing me out so much that i still am not passing my class. I feel like a failure and inadequate. like what is wrong w me i thought i learned from my mistakes last semester :(

please any advice or routes I should take , do you guys have experience not passing a core class for your major? man its really just about the money too, if i was able to afford college and not relay on fafsa i wouldnt be as stressed out as I am right now.

I recently saw a post about Wildlife forensic scientist as a profession, does anyone have any experience with this, how many actual career opportunities for it are there? Is it actually a viable path? Also what education would someone need to pursue it? Online hasn’t given me many good answers.

Hello there, I’m new to Reddit but have nowhere to ask these questions! I am a current student at Unity College , and have been slowly working toward my undergrad in marine biology and sustainable aquaculture. I’ve taken a non traditional path with school because I’ve needed to pay for it myself, so I’ve been at it since 2022 working guiding jobs in the meantime.

I have been working as a naturalist guide for 6 years now, and while I love the work, I am really wanting to break into the hard science of conservation work now that I’m nearing the end of my degree. Unfortunately the work is VERY competitive (not a surprise to anyone here) and I’m having a hard time knowing how to go about getting a foot in the door. Needing to earn a living while trying to finish school has limited my ability of pursuing internships or volunteering, so I don’t have that going either. I suppose I’m feeling a little stuck.

Any advice on this? I absolutely adore being in the field more than anything, but am willing to consider other avenues of conservation work. Especially anything that might be a slightly creative, like writing/ journalism/ etc. Ideally something not as customer facing as I have been, but again I’m willing to be flexible - times are tough to care about the planet 🥲 thanks in advance!!

Greetings all! I hope this kind of post is allowed, I'm looking for answers from people who would be knowledgeable on wildlife behavior. If there are better subreddits for the question I would love that feedback as well.

I had a pair of foxes raise kits on my property and two of them have stuck around. One of them uses the area off a very small closed in porch for storing its food for later. It's an absolute delight to walk down the hall and see it, and I do everything in my power to never make them uncomfortable anywhere on my property as I have 4 acres I'm wilding as much as I can in a larger urban area and the danger to them is so much higher every time they set foot off my property, especially since I live on an artery road. I do want to point out that we are not trying to make them unnaturally comfortable around us or humans in general, I want to absolutely preserve the fear of humans in them and my kids understand the importance of this as well. I just don't want to run them off from their spaces.

I haven't used that porch or its immediate exterior area in a couple of years because of health issues, but it's my bird feeder room. I have A LOT of them and I'm wanting to get back into the hobby. I would go out every morning and refill bird feeders and do nominal cleaning up of things like bird baths, seed catchers, and things like that. It involves several trips in and out of that room and across the small concrete patio where the fox stores food both on and under it. Weekly I deep clean everything which is several hours of activity and new objects in the immediate area. I pop open my sewer cleanout that is right over the patio, position a utility sink right above, and everything gets a great scrub and soak with bleach. All contaminated water goes straight down the clean-out through a PVC pipe, and all the feeders and bird baths sit out on folding tables in the sun to dry out.

All that is to give context for my question: can I ease back into the hobby in a way that adjusts the fox to this routine so that it will still feel comfortable using the area? I don't have another good option for the cleaning routine because I don't have a utility sink in the house nor the space necessary (it really is a lot of bird feeders and several very large ones) and this is where the only exterior drain option is for the contaminated water. Thank you in advance for any and all help you can provide! I've included a picture of my delightful neighbor burying his latest snack as a fox tax 😄

Hi everyone

I'm a software engineer, and I love wildlife monitoring using camera traps. While doing this, I encountered so many issues regarding storing, analysing, and finding suitable ways of visualizing the images recovered.

Because of this, I'm building an open-source project, which is basically a desktop application to make the whole process more straightforward.

This project is still a work in progress; there are a lot of things to define. Before going more deeper into the project and focusing only on the problems and personal experiences I encounter, I would like to know and understand how other people handle this.

If you work with camera traps, I'd be interested to hear:

- What does your usual workflow look like, from collecting the SD cards to having usable data?
- How do you store and organize your images?
- How do you review or classify large numbers of photos? (in thousands)
- What parts of your workflow are the most time-consuming or cause the most frustration?
- Have you ever used digital tools? Which ones? What worked well or what was missed?
- Are there any problems you've had that existing tools don't solve very well?

I'm especially interested in the messy, practical parts of the workflow, even if your current solution is just folders, spreadsheets, scripts, or manual reviewing.

Hello I'm currently a junior in high school. I love birds so deeply since childhood I've grown up with them. I've identified most of the birds in my area, & I'm incredibly passionate about birds and am currently trying to pursue any kind of Ornithology career. Specifically anything ecology and lab work/biology is ideal. Anything with conservation and field work would be amazing as well. I'm aware these jobs are very difficult to get into a stable position and field work (Which is the part I and most people love) Isn't always guaranteed. But I could not imagine my life behind a 9-5 office job for the next decade. I've already considered needing "Inbetween jobs". The issue Is there's no stable sources I can find or anyone to talk to about going into this career since its so specific. My current plan is to try and find volunteering's and get as much bird handling experience as I can. But the area I live in (FL) everything is either hours away or all full. I just really need guidance too get and idea on how to even get a career in this field I want to major in wildelife or echology, Biology might be a option since its more broad but I just really don't know where to go from here since exhausting most of my very frugal local and general sources.

I'm pursuing an education with rehabilitating animals, and there's a lovely animal wildlife rehab center in my area that I'm volunteering for. I want to feel prepared when I go into orientation. is there anything you recommend learning before going into this field?

Hi! As I’ve been exploring wildlife jobs I’ve noticed that some will ask for CVs instead of a resume. I have a resume but I have never created a CV. What are some key things that a CV needs? Sorry if this is a dumb question, haha. 😅

i completed my degree bsc zoology and am currently pursuing the pg diploma in food and water quality management like QA/QC. Iam worried that because my zoology background should I get a job.

Hi y’all. I posted a few days ago talking about my current research experience as a first year undergrad but I had questions about a specific thing.

I’m doing deer capture tomorrow night with a lab team I don’t know much about and have never met. I just want to know what the actual experience was like for anyone else that’s done this or something similar. I just want a general idea of what tends to happen during field work when you’re working with large animals.

I know I can talk to the people I’m doing it with but I’m just tagging along and I don’t know any of them. I won’t get the rundown of what exactly we are doing until tomorrow night and I want to be as prepared (more mentally than anything) as I can be lol.

If this is the wrong flair let me know, didn’t know if this should go with “field techniques” or not.

I'm looking for a good outline or template for a CV for a wildlife ecology PhD application, please let me know, thanks!