Studying, protecting, and managing wild animals and the places they live, from backyard bats to endangered condors.
Top pay: highest pay, longest training
Wildlife Veterinarian: Treats and studies diseases in wild animal populations, often in the field. Typical pay $110k.
Research Wildlife Biologist: Leads scientific studies on wildlife populations, often for the federal government or universities. Typical pay $110k.
Endangered Species Program Manager: Leads government efforts to recover species on the endangered list, like the California condor or red wolf. Typical pay $115k.
Conservation Organization Director: Leads a conservation nonprofit, from a local land trust to an international wildlife group. Typical pay $120k.
Wildlife Special Agent: Federal criminal investigator who busts wildlife smugglers and poachers. Typical pay $115k.
Mid pay: solid pay, degree or apprenticeship
Wildlife Biologist: Studies wild animals and their habitats to manage and protect populations. Typical pay $73k.
Fish & Game Warden: A law enforcement officer who protects wildlife and enforces hunting, fishing, and boating laws. Typical pay $64k.
Wildlife Forensic Scientist: Uses DNA, chemistry, and anatomy to solve crimes against wildlife. Typical pay $85k.
Ornithologist: Studies birds: their migration, behavior, and survival. Typical pay $70k.
Wildlife Refuge Manager: Runs a National Wildlife Refuge, balancing habitat, wildlife, and visitors. Typical pay $85k.
Wildlife GIS Analyst: Makes maps and analyzes location data to understand where animals live and move. Typical pay $68k.
Wildlife Damage Management Specialist: Solves conflicts between wildlife and people, like birds hitting planes or coyotes killing livestock. Typical pay $58k.
Bat Biologist: Studies and protects bats, often for environmental surveys and conservation. Typical pay $65k.
Wildlife Capture Specialist: Safely captures wild animals for research collars, relocation, or medical care. Typical pay $60k.
Starter: fastest way in
Wildlife Technician: Collects field data for wildlife studies, often in seasonal jobs in remote places. Typical pay $40k.
Interpretive Park Ranger: Teaches visitors about the wildlife, history, and nature of a park. Typical pay $45k.
Wildlife Removal Specialist: Humanely removes raccoons, bats, snakes, and other wild animals from homes and businesses. Typical pay $42k.
Hunting & Fishing Guide: Leads clients on hunting and fishing trips, sharing expert knowledge of animals and wild places. Typical pay $38k.
Wildlife Photographer: Photographs and films wild animals for magazines, documentaries, and conservation groups. Typical pay $40k.
Camera Trap Technician: Sets up hidden wildlife cameras and sorts through the thousands of photos they take. Typical pay $38k.
Bear Management Technician: Keeps bears and people apart in parks and mountain towns by hazing bears, securing trash and teaching visitors. Typical pay $40k.
Game Bird Farmer: Raises pheasants, quail and chukar for hunting preserves, dog training, restaurants and state stocking programs. Typical pay $42k.
Chronic Wasting Disease Sampling Technician: Collects samples from hunter-killed deer and elk so wildlife agencies can track chronic wasting disease, a fatal brain illness spreading in deer. Typical pay $36k.
Career Universe is an early version. Pay, training and AI-risk figures are estimates to start your own research, not verified facts. The research was written with AI research assistants, checked by validation scripts and spot-checked by hand. Check anything important with schools, employers and official sources. How the numbers work.