Wildlife managers ensure healthy populations and habitats for wild animals through practical work, research, and analysis. They work primarily outdoors on public land, enforcing wildlife and land use laws, and may act as consultants for new regulations. A love of animals and the environment is essential, as is a degree in a related field.
A wildlife manager’s primary responsibility is to help ensure that wild animals, including fish, maintain healthy population sizes and live in healthy habitats. In terms of population size, this means that a wildlife manager will work to ensure that certain animal species do not grow too large in numbers or risk becoming extinct. Protecting habitats can involve managing wildlife sanctuaries and refuges.
The actual activities wildlife managers engage in range from practical work to research and analysis. They typically assess animal habitats and collect data on animals, fish, and plants. Direct contact with animals, on the other hand, may involve capturing animals for relocation or collecting biological samples to assess the health of a species or environment.
The job also varies depending on the location. For example, animal types and habitats would be different in a forest than in a desert, and different in a hot climate than in a cold one. One constant is that a wildlife manager works primarily outdoors, usually on public land. In the US, a wildlife manager often works for federal, state, or local governments, although private non-profit organizations that focus on animals and the environment also employ wildlife managers.
Because wildlife managers do a lot of hands-on work outdoors, the work can be backbreaking and, as a result, anyone interested in this field must be in good shape. He or she must be ready to run and track animals if necessary, and travel on foot across various terrains. Additionally, managers must be relatively agile as they may need to work in small spaces.
Wildlife managers also need to be aware of the wildlife and land use laws in the jurisdictions in which they work. They may have to enforce recreational laws, such as those related to where all-terrain vehicles or boats can travel. Some managers also act as law enforcement officers who protect wildlife and their surroundings. Because they have specialist experience in managing wild animals, wildlife managers can also serve as consultants for new environmental or wildlife regulations.
There is a public relations aspect to the wildlife manager’s job as well. Presentations may be required for school groups or other organizations, or phone calls may be requested from area residents about nuisance animals. For example, a person may call wanting to know what to do about bats or skunks in their home, and the wildlife manager may be able to provide the resident with some help.
A wildlife manager may sometimes be called a game warden, although that term is becoming old-fashioned. As the name suggests, a game warden is responsible only for game animals and for protecting them from wild animals, usually in a private game reserve. Game wardens can also enforce hunting and fishing regulations, as well as helping to set hunting or fishing quotas. In many cases, the position of a game warden has evolved into that of a wildlife manager – protecting all wildlife, not just game. In other cases, the gamekeeper is still only responsible for game animals.
Wildlife managers usually have an educational background in related fields such as biology, forestry, environmental science or ecology. US job advertisements often list a four-year degree in a related field as a requirement. Perhaps one of the most important requirements for becoming a wildlife manager, however, is a love of animals and the environment.
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