Uphold the law . . . of nature?

Being a conservation officer is a pretty cool gig you may have never considered before.

For starters, you never know when you wake up what you’ll encounter that day. You’ll have calls coming in from all sorts of places or you’ll be out on patrol near a water way or in the woods. You’ll be investigating cases, upholding laws, and keeping people and animals safe from each other.

Those are just some of the things conservation officers are responsible for. Because it’s a fairly serious job with loads of responsibility and peace officer-ing involved, you should know that you’ll need to keep your nose clean.

To be accepted into a Conservation Enforcement program you’ll need:

• A clean criminal record check
• Good credit
• A good driving record
• Fingerprints which have not been associated with a crime

You’ll be learning how to manage firearms, pepper spray, a police baton, and handcuffs. You’ll be required to have current CPR and First Aid certification, and you’ll also have to know how to swim.

You’ll learn skills similar to what municipal police officers learn:  self defense, officer safety, and so on and so forth. You never know what you might encounter out there in the Canadian wilderness!

You can become a wildlife conservation officer by taking the Bachelor of Wildlife Conservation at UPEI, Wildlife Conservation Technology at Holland College or study Conservation Enforcement.

Would you rather be an RCMP officer or a Conservation Officer? Why?

Photo credit: MacClure