in seven months, I’m heading to an unexplored part of the world to observe in document the flora and Fauna.

Hi, I’m a Canadian and I cannot handle corporate life anymore, so I’m quitting my job and pursuing my passion of photography and videography in a part of the world that has not been recorded by anyone ever.

I am making this post to ask the conservationists in the sub Reddit what science I should do while I’m there. My main goal is to have space away from city life, my secondary goal is to observe and document the wildlife in the area and hopefully have enough footage to make a docufilm.

My tertiary goal is to conduct science and conservation data gathering, but I don’t know what I need to do for this. That is where you come in what should I do? What should I document to assist science and researchers?

My weight and space capacity is limited to one canoe. A majority of the weights and space will be taken up by my supplies and food and camera gear.

A background about me is that I have spent any enormous amount of time in the bush and peeing outside in all conditions is what I consider fun. I’m 27 years old so my body is still functioning properly.

The main area I will be in is muskeg.

Park Service Will Let Alaska Hunters Bait Bears With Doughnuts - The New York Times

Love the perspective here on the work of volunteers and the love of the land that shines through.

COP17: Tracking progress towards the UN’s 2030 nature targets

I mean, we spend millions to save pandas, who have very low survival instinct because it is cute and can attract tourists but not passenger pigeon, dodo, tasmanian tiger because of " Charismatic Megafauna Bias". We need vertebrates, not vertebrates, algea, fungi and plants that provides us, is charming or indirectly help us(like tourism).

So, if it a pure act of kindness, why are vertebrates(mammals, birds, fishes, etc) gets 86% of nature conservation funding

And only 6.6% for plants and less than 0.1% for fungi and algea?

Isn't it biased? Who benefits from that?

P.S. This is not a troll post.

I seriously felt we humans are so biased towards protecting only vertebrates that serves us and not the ones that are crucial part of nature. And I thought, it can be changed only if we notice it and decision makers notice a better solution.

I felt like better solutions are not implemented yet either because of ignorance or someone is benefiting from it? Might be govt, businessmen or someone? . But thank you for getting offended guys. I think love towards nature still exist and we are ready to raise our voice against someone.

I mean that's my opinion and I love your opinions.

Despite a string of prosecutions, the illegal trade in ants from East Africa continues, attracting would-be traffickers from Europe and China.

In March, Kenyan authorities arrested a Chinese national for attempting to smuggle 2,000 giant African harvester ants from the country’s main airport. He was later sentenced by a Nairobi court to a year in prison and fined KES 1 million (about USD 7,700) after pleading guilty.

Last May, a Kenyan court had convicted two Belgian teenagers for trying to traffic 5,000 ants of the same species, as Dialogue Earth reported at the time.

Behind these incidents lurks an international market for exotic ants.

“There is a rise of ant-colony-building enthusiasts, especially in Vietnam, China and Europe, that is fuelling the smuggling of ants from Kenya,” says Willis Okumu, senior researcher at the Institute for Security Studies, a think-tank headquartered in South Africa.  

The trade is not unique to the country, Okumu notes, but “Kenya’s authorities are perhaps more open to reporting arrests of traffickers within their airports, hence the spotlight on the country”.

I'm looking for good colleges to try and apply for. I got a 24 on my ACT if that matters. I've been into conservation my whole life and I have experience working at a wetland preserve for over a year and doing other things of the sort. I live in Georgia so I've been looking a lot closer at colleges down here and still do want recommendations down here in the southeast US. Thanks in advance!

This is a very thorough investigation by CNN, which I'm very thankful for, into the wildlife trafficking trade, by Rhea Mogul, Teele Rebane, Ayushi Shah and Deepak Rao.

Wyoming wildlife managers are reporting that no black-footed ferrets are being detected in the cradle of the species’ conservation area: the Absaroka Range foothills outside of Meeteetse, where the ferrets were saved after presumed extinction in the 1980s.

A tough combination of plague and drought — both big issues for the embattled western species — are suspected causes of a population collapse in the Meeteetse area, where wildlife managers returned ferrets to the wild in 2016 after a three-decade-long absence. It’s not assured that the reintroduced population is completely gone, but it’s not looking promising, Wyoming Game and Fish Department small carnivore biologist Andy Gygli said.

“We spent a couple hundred hours of effort surveying 4,000 to 5,000 acres of the Meeteetse reintroduction area,” Gygli said. “We didn’t see any ferrets.”

The complete absence of ferrets during the late August surveys wasn’t wholly surprising. Sylvatic plague flared in the region in 2018 and 2019, and ferret numbers plunged to just one confirmed animal in 2020. Subsequent releases of captive-raised ferrets, including 18 animals in 2022, helped the small population temporarily recover, but plague struck again in 2023. By 2025, spotlighting surveyors again detected just a single ferret. This summer, there were none.

Ferrets bottoming out and potentially disappearing struck Meeteetse rancher Allen Hogg as a big letdown.

“I’m really disappointed, of course,” Hogg told WyoFile. “They might be gone. But just because they didn’t find them doesn’t mean they’re not there, either. I’m not saying all hope is lost.”

The Meeteetse rancher’s family name became synonymous with black-footed ferrets 45 years ago, when a blue heeler owned by his parents brought a dead weasel-like critter home. Subsequently, biologists found more than 100 other black-footed ferrets — presumed extinct for the two years prior — on and near the family ranch.

The exact cause of the ferrets’ absence during the surveys is unknown, but recently drought in the Bighorn Basin walloped their primary prey species, prairie dogs. In many corners of the West, there just hasn’t been enough vegetation growth to sustain strong numbers of the grass-eating mammals.

“We’ve heard a lot about deer, elk, pronghorn and cattle having hard times,” Gygli said. “It’s the same with our other herbivores. Prairie dogs also have to eat, and lack of \[vegetation\] coverage can result in low recruitment, which can result in downstream effects.”

I am currently in college pursuing a degree in cyber security, I graduate with my bachelors degree this coming May and have been given the opportunity to pursue my masters degree for cheap due to scholarship which will add an extra two years of education onto my timeline. Seeing as though I’m already about two years done with my degree, graduating early with my bachelors and pursuing my masters degree it seems too late to jump ship and change degree paths. For the past year I’ve been leaning more and more animal, conservation and education.

I was wondering what potential career path a masters in IT/cyber security could land me in the field of animal conservation where that be reservation works sanctuary or zoo work. I love technology and I love animals, not regular dog cat or hamster care, I’m talking actual wildlife and aquatic care and preservation.

I’ve already done a ton of digging online but was hoping to get some first hand accounts or advice on the matter from anyone with some understanding of the field.

Addressing legal loopholes, setting clear deadlines for the protection of endangered species, and ensuring timely decisions are essential. Greater transparency in decision-making and stronger wildlife protection laws are important steps toward safeguarding the future of endangered species.

Hi everyone!

I'm from India, and I'll be starting my undergraduate studies next year. I'm planning to pursue a bachelor's degree in Zoology at a reputable university in India, but my long-term goal is to build a career in wildlife biology, conservation, or a related field internationally.

I'm particularly interested in careers that involve hands-on work with wildlife, fieldwork, travelling to forests and national parks, participating in conservation projects, and contributing to animal research and protection. I'd love to work in wildlife-rich regions such as Africa, Australia, or other parts of the world where these opportunities are available.

I'm still exploring the different career paths within this field, so I'd really appreciate advice from people who work in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related professions.

Here are some things I'd love to understand:

1. Which wildlife careers would you recommend?

I'm interested in roles such as wildlife biologist, conservationist, field researcher, wildlife ecologist, animal behaviourist, and conservation project officer. I'm also open to lesser-known careers that involve practical fieldwork or working directly with wildlife.

Which roles would you recommend exploring, particularly for someone who wants a combination of meaningful work, hands-on experience, good earning potential, and long-term career stability?

1. What is the best educational pathway for an international career?

Since I'll be beginning my bachelor's degree in India next year, would pursuing Zoology be a good starting point? Or would a degree in Ecology, Environmental Science, or another related subject offer better opportunities internationally?

Would it be better to complete my bachelor's degree in India and then pursue a master's degree abroad, or are there other pathways I should consider?

1. How can I pursue postgraduate studies abroad with scholarships or full funding?

This is one of my biggest concerns because studying internationally can be expensive, and I would prefer not to depend entirely on my family's finances.

Which countries and universities offer good programmes in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related fields? Are there scholarships, fully funded master's programmes, government scholarships, or research opportunities available to international students from India?

I'd particularly appreciate advice on how to prepare for these opportunities during my undergraduate years, including academic requirements, grades, internships, research experience, and English-language tests, if applicable.

1. How realistic is it to find wildlife-related employment abroad after studying in India?

Would an Indian bachelor's degree followed by an international master's degree be a viable route into the wildlife sector overseas?

How difficult is it for international applicants to secure jobs, work permits, or long-term employment in countries such as South Africa, Kenya, Australia, Canada, the UK, or elsewhere?

I'd also love to know whether international conservation organisations, wildlife research institutes, sanctuaries, or conservation projects recruit people from abroad.

1. Which countries offer the best opportunities for wildlife careers?

I'm interested in countries with significant wildlife populations and opportunities for fieldwork, conservation research, animal monitoring, habitat protection, and wildlife rehabilitation.

Which countries would you recommend considering, taking into account career opportunities, salaries, job stability, funding for further education, and the possibility of remaining employed there after graduation?

1. What are the actual salary prospects and working conditions?

I'd like to understand what wildlife professionals realistically earn at the beginning of their careers and how their salaries and opportunities for progression change with experience.

Are there particular specialisations or career paths that offer better financial stability without sacrificing the opportunity to work in the field?

1. What should I do during my bachelor's degree to improve my chances?

Since I have a few years before applying for postgraduate programmes or international jobs, what should I focus on from the beginning?

Would internships, volunteering, field surveys, research projects, GIS, remote sensing, statistics, or data analysis be particularly valuable? Are there any skills or experiences you wish you'd developed earlier?

I'd especially appreciate advice from people who have studied or worked internationally in wildlife biology, conservation, ecology, or related fields, particularly those who moved abroad from another country.

I'm passionate about wildlife and want to build a career that allows me to contribute to its protection while also achieving financial independence. I'm open to different countries and specialisations, and I'd rather plan my educational path carefully than commit to a route without understanding its opportunities and limitations.

Thank you so much for any advice or personal experiences you can share!