The Wildlife Bear Research Career Description

Many people don’t want to encounter a wildlife bear while entering into the woods. There are some people who do bear research to find out bear information in order to better understand their reactions, moods, actions, habits, and ways of living.

Qualifications and Job Requirements

A love for nature and wildlife is a must! You will not be able to get the position of doing bear research if you are not looking to save the bears in the wild. A bear researcher usually has a college degree in Agricultural Sciences, Biology, mathematics, and Chemistry. Good analytical skills, communication, writing, time management, critical thinking, science, and reading comprehension skills are required to be able to conduct accurate bear research and collect valuable bear information. The job is very physically demanding, so one must be able to handle great hikes and adventures into the habitat of a wildlife bear.

Job Responsibilities

Bear researchers main purpose is to learn everything involving a wildlife bear. This includes, but is not limited to, eating habits, sleeping habits, other animal interactions, how bears are reacting to the spread of human society, and reactions to human contact. Their goal is collect bear information by doing bear research. This bear research should be helpful in the goal to save the bears in the wild.

Using breakthrough technologies, personal bear evaluations, and a simple notepad and pencil to document down events are all included in their jobs. Long hours, being alone, walking in the wild forests, and being able to survive in any situation put into are a must to complete the job. Usually, bear researchers are set out to complete a certain task or find out a reason for an issue or event involving bears.

Technological Device Breakthroughs Helping in Research

One of the oldest items used in bear research is a gun for protection. This gun is not to be used unless it is a life-threatening situation, as the purpose is to save the bears. However, there is a gun which they use very often, a stun gun. This gun shoots out darts, which look like a shot a doctor would give you, but are filled with fluid to stun the bear. These shots do not hurt the bear, rather they make the bear out-cold, lasting a short period of time, giving the bear researchers time to conduct bear research and gather bear information.

Another device is the video camera. This is very handy to capture bear research in action, and allow the bear researcher to analyze an event over and over again, collecting every detail. A more recent invention let researchers follow bears into the deep woods, letting them analyze bears in their natural habitat. It is a waterproof, shatterproof boxed camera which records and sends the recording right to the bear researcher’s computer. It sends out signals ranging from 1-5 miles, depending on the agricultural surroundings. This has let researchers enter into the natural habitat and see how the bears actually live, interact, and act in the deep forests, without putting themselves in danger or disrupting their natural behaviors.

Job Salary and Employment

Although there is no information on what bear researchers make, an animal scientist, which a bear researcher is classified in, has an average salary of $49,000 per year. This all depends on the amount of experience, the quality of information found, and how well you complete your assignments. Many are employed by research and development companies funded by the government or are hired through the federal or local government directly help with local issues.

Job Risks

Of course, dealing with wildlife bears, there will be a great amount of risk. This is where your survival and wildlife skills come into play that you have acquired over the years of experience and education. There is little bear information known to why bears attack. What they do know is they can sense fear, anxiety, and also smell the human sent attracting them as it may be new and interesting to them. Bear attacks are a risk in trying to save the bears in the wild; this is why the love for the job and the bears is a must!