New Mexico Is Hiring ‘Professional Bear Huggers’ — How to Apply
So cute and for a good cause!
Courtesy of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
New Mexico is hiring "professional bear huggers," and the job description photos are adorable.
Applications for the actual job, a conservation officer with the New Mexico Department of Game and Fish, are open until March 30 — and while not all job duties are as cuddly, they are equally important.
“Now hiring professional bear huggers. Must have [the] ability to hike in strenuous conditions, have the courage to crawl into a bear den, and have the trust in your coworkers to keep you safe during the process,” the department wrote in a Facebook post. “Not all law enforcement field work is this glamorous, but we would love for you to join the team where you can have the experience of a lifetime.”
Courtesy of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Courtesy of New Mexico Department of Game and Fish
Holding the bears are part of a research project in Northern New Mexico in which the department assured “all bears were handled safely under supervision.”
To apply for the job — bear hugging and all — applicants must have earned a Bachelor of Science degree from an accredited college or university in biological sciences, police science or law enforcement, natural resources conservation, ecology, or a related field. People can fill out an application online.
Conservation officers, also known as fish and game wardens, patrol the lands and waters of the state, enforcing the laws, educating the public, conducting wildlife surveys, and more.
However, for animals lovers who aren't conservation officers, the department definitely does not recommend crawling into bear dens or cuddling the bears, no matter how cute they are.
“If you do, our officers will have to have a chat with you,” the department warned, adding: “P.P.S. Don’t feed the bears.”
It may not be a good idea to go touching wild bears, but there are plenty of ways to see them in the wild from tours in Alaska to seeing polar bears in northern Canada.
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