Fancy Scientist Podcast #124: Wildlife Careers in Crisis: Surviving Trying Times

Stephanie Manka

Stephanie Manka, Ph.D. is a wildlife biologist with 20 years of experience in mammal ecology and conservation, education, and outreach. Read her story to find out how she went from the daughter of a jeweler to a Ph.D. in wildlife biology.

posted on
March 4, 2025

I’m not going to lie…things seem pretty dire here right now in the United States for the environment, conservation, and wildlife. Because of what the current administration is doing, people are worried and understandably so. Things are quite honestly in chaos right now and there have already been severe consequences for those who work in wildlife.

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Over the past couple of weeks, my social media feeds have been flooded with images of the thousands of federal workers who have unfairly lost their jobs in the name of government budget cuts. Funding for conservation, research, and protections is and will continue to be slashed, and even whole organizations within our federal government are under threat of being taken away.

" The reality is that wildlife research and science is heavily dependent on politics. They are inevitably intertwined."

Although it’s not quite clear yet what things are going to hold up legally in court, the results have already impacted people who work in wildlife. Entire livelihoods have been shattered from people losing their critical paychecks doing what they loved while serving and protecting our wildlife, land, and environment.

In the previous episode of the Fancy Scientist podcast, I talked about what we can do as individuals to continue to stand up for what we believe in while bridging the gap to others who voted differently than us so that we can reclaim the necessary political power to enact pro-wildlife legislation. But when scrolling through my social media feeds and seeing the faces of those who lost their jobs, I realized people really needed help.

"You have to change something. If you keep doing the same thing over and over again, you're going to keep getting the same results."

One post on Instagram left a particularly strong impact on me. It was a post that offered some hope by someone who secured a wildlife job under the first Trump administration. And what I could see from this post was that it was really needed by people out there. Some said they read the post and left crying because they desperately needed some help and encouragement during these unprecedented times.

This post really inspired me. If you are not new to this podcast, you’ll know that a huge focus of mine is those in wildlife careers, so if this is you, then you’ll definitely want to listen to the whole episode. Here I take the time to address the concerns of those who may have lost their job, are worried about losing their job, or are feeling anxiety about the increasing competition from fewer now being offered in our field.

"The world is your oyster. There are so many creative solutions out there."

Honestly, no matter where you are in your career, the advice today is going to apply to you.

So for those of you who are in wildlife, environmental, or conservation careers and are feeling panicked, maybe wondering, “How do I handle this new administration? How do I handle this new landscape?” This episode is for you!

I know you don’t want to give up your lifelong dream of having a wildlife career, but the reality is, I know some of you are thinking about it. As I read that Instagram post, I read numerous comments from people saying they felt like they had to give it all up considering what is going on. But you DON’T.

"Stop playing small, stop thinking conventionally, and get your head outside the box. If you follow my advice, you're stubborn enough, stick to it long enough, this can't not work. You will get a job."

In this episode, I give you hope, concrete tips on what you can do if you are in a wildlife profession, how you can navigate this new administration and landscape, and reassure you that there’s going to be jobs for you, that you are needed, that your work is important and valuable.

Specifically I go over:

The illusion of a permanent job
How the landscape of jobs has and is still changing, and how to handle it
The misconception that you have to work continuously in this field – gaps to take other jobs are okay!
How to make things work for you in the long run if it feels like you need to take a pause from wildlife work (either wanted or unwanted)
Past experiences and results of wildlife work during administrations unfavorable to wildlife and conservation
Thinking outside of the box and implementing creative solutions in wildlife work
How to start making yourself competitive as possible so that when the right job is available, you get it
And more!