Professional bear huggers wanted

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is hiring for “professional bear huggers”

Unfortunately, a love of bears is not the only qualification you’ll need to become a conservation officer.  Candidates must have a bachelor’s degree in “biological sciences, police science or law enforcement, natural resources conservation, ecology, or related fields.”

Interested applicants “must be able to hike in exhausting conditions, have the courage to crawl into a bear den, and have the trust in your coworkers to keep you safe during the process”.

Applications for the next class of conservation officer trainees are open until the end of the month

The job duties include a lot more than just bear-hugging. Each conservation officer is responsible for “enforcing the game and fish laws” and must

• educate the public about wildlife and wildlife management,
• conduct wildlife surveys,
• capture problem animals,
• investigate wildlife damage to crops and property,
• assist in wildlife relocations and ´
• help to develop new regulations.

Black bears are New Mexico’s state animal. Estimates place the population at around 6,000 bears.

From CNN (edited)