Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

The mission of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation is to foster education, expand knowledge, and reward scholarship, using multi-disciplinary approaches, for the purpose of understanding, managing, and conserving biological resources. The primary goal of our teaching, research, and extension programs is to develop and communicate the knowledge necessary for enhancing the conservation and management of wildlife and their habitats for the greatest aesthetic, ecological, economic, and recreational values.


WEC News

WEC Welcomes New Faculty Member Dr. Samantha Wisely

Samantha Wisely

A hardy welcome goes to our newest faculty member of the Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida, Dr. Samantha Wisely. Sam was an Associate Professor at Kansas State University, and has recently joined our department this past December. Sam will be providing a key role in WEC, with research responsibilities focused on broad-scale scientific questions in line with the "grand challenges" driving the National Ecological Observatory Network (NEON), and extension responsibilities focused on developing innovative extension programming at the Ordway-Swisher Biological Station. Sam brings an exciting suite of skills and attributes to the Department. Her work in wildlife disease ecology moves the Department into an area that addresses critical wildlife needs in the region. In addition, her interests and background in landscape-level processes, population and community dynamics, and mammalian ecology builds important depth in fundamental elements of the wildlife program. More...


Have an injured or abandoned animal?

Please read the important information on our Extension page for questions and answers on this topic.

Thad H. Owens Memorial Fund for Wildlife Ecology and Conservation

A Memorial Fund has been established in the memory of Thad Owens to purchase equipment for use by undergraduate students in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation at the University of Florida. To contribute to the fund online, click here.