What is wildlife instinction?

How about wildlife careers?

• Ok, I am only in 8th grade but I am going to be in high school next year and I should focus on my future. Right? And I was thinking about what careers I am interested in. I know I love animals but I have a weak stomach (it doesn't do well with intestines) so I knew I wouldn't be able to be a vet. I was researching and I saw wildlife biologist. I noticed the pay was ok but that isn't my main focus. Although it is kinda important. And I was wondering if I could be a Wildlife Biologist and a Wildlife Rehabilitator. They together make a pretty good pay. And I thought a wildlife photographer would be fun as a hobby or a mini job. And my main question is could I be a wildlife biologist full and be a volunteer wildlife rehabiliator? With a wildlife photographer as a mini. And my next question is schooling. What classes should I take? According to one of the career centers around my area as a freshman in high school I should take English, Math, Science, History or elective, P.E./Health, Foreign I or Elective, and Fine Art or Elective. Which most of those are required to take anyway but it says Marine Biologist not wildlife biologist. (not sure if the schooling is different) And for the volunteer wildlife rehab I'm not sure what classes to take to make sure I can to both. Thank you for reading all of this. It is alot. My overall summary is: What classes should I take in high school to be a Wildlife Biologist (full time), a volunteer Wildlife Rehabiliator, and a wildlife photographer? Thank you for your time! xoxo, Kelsea.

• Answer:

  Yes, you absolutely can do this. It is an excellent way to apply your degree to achieving a goal that is otherwise below living standards in pay. I'll start by saying, the woman I began working for was a wildlife biologist who ran a wildlife rehabilitation center, assisted by a wildlife veterinarian who came in once a day to patch all the patients up. So the info is second hand, but precisely your aim. You will want to find a college that offers Wildlife Biology as a major, many make the mistake of doing a similar field, only to find out they've spent a huge amount of tuition on courses that simply don't apply, it's more worthwhile to move out to your school of choice. The coursework is different, you will want to take courses such as vertebrate natural history/mammology/ornithology/comparativ… vertebrate anatomy etc, the focus is more broadened as it includes all animals. In High School you would benefit from taking AP or Honors Biology, start photography when you are able to for the first time as well and use photography as your art elective in college as well. Go ahead and start volunteering when you can, (some places require you be 16) and if you are serious about continuing volunteering go ahead and fork up the dough for the rabies vaccination series, luckily for you the price is dropping from a steep $600 bucks like it was for me. While you are at a rehab ask then rehabber about obtaining a rehabilitation license yourself, you will find out about conventions that host courses about wildlife (usually 3-5 day conventions) you will be required to take a certain number of lecture hours in wildlife a year to maintain your licensing, these courses are a great way to meet contacts and get hands on experience/learn treatment techniques and it looks great on your college application. When you are in college, or soon after leaving college you will want to have someone teach you, or take a course in writing grant application forums, because grants will be how you can maintain career growth and growth of your facilities (donations usually provide maintenance fees, so also think about taking a course in non-profit economics). I go to the Call of the Wild Conventions in VA, maybe I'll see you there one day.