UF Wildlife Forensic Sciences

This semester, I’m hoping to ______. 🤔

Could be pass a tough class, make more time for yourself, finally graduate, secure an internship, meet new people or just make it through syllabus week. 👀

Whatever it is, we’re happy you’re here for the first day! Now finish the sentence in the comments, we really wanna know your semester goals!! 🐊

Wildlife forensic work doesn’t end with finding evidence. It depends on knowing how to handle it, document it and understand the laws and systems behind it. 🐾

That’s why we offer an online Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation Graduate Certificate for students and professionals who want to strengthen their knowledge of wildlife crime, evidence processing, conservation law and contemporary issues in wildlife protection.

This 15-credit certificate can be completed fully online in as little as one year, with five courses that appear on your official UF transcript.

For those already working in conservation, animal care, law enforcement, forensics or a related field, this certificate offers a focused way to build deeper expertise in the work behind the field.

Learn more at the link below. ⬇️
https://bit.ly/4z5UiBu

We’re so proud of our Summer 2026 Wildlife Forensic Sciences & Conservation graduates! 🎓🐊

Your hard work has brought you to this moment, and the knowledge and expertise you’ve gained will carry far beyond it. We can’t wait to see the impact you make for wildlife and the world we share.

Congratulations, Gator grads!

It's time to see if you can ID this endangered species!🔍

There are very few of these cats left in the wild. Built for the cold forests of the Russian far east, this rare cat can run up to 37 mph and leap more than 19 feet. Its thick coat helps it survive brutal winters, but poaching, habitat loss and prey scarcity still put this endangered species at risk.

Can you guess the species? 🐾

It’s National Zoo Keeper Week, and we’re celebrating Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation alumna Jenna Caraccilo, a penguin and African zookeeper at the Maryland Zoo in Baltimore. 🐧

Jenna’s work brings together animal care, conservation and public education, helping people understand not only the animals in front of them, but the bigger mission to protect wildlife and the planet. As Jenna shared, “The love for animals led me to both being a zookeeper and studying wildlife forensics.”

This week, we’re grateful for zookeepers like Jenna whose work helps people see wildlife care as part of something much bigger. 🌎

A lion was killed in Zimbabwe, but the case did not end there. 🦁

In a world-first conviction, DNA forensics helped match seized lion parts back to one specific animal, giving prosecutors the evidence they needed to connect the trafficking case to the lion himself.
Science can still help uncover what happened, even after an animal is gone.

Read the full story below. ⬇️

https://bit.ly/3TlFcHy

Last chance to apply for Fall 2026!🔍

Ready to turn your passion for wildlife conservation into real-world impact? UF's 100% online Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation program offers master’s, graduate certificate and non-degree options for professionals working in the field and those ready to make wildlife protection their career.

Fall applications are closing soon! Don’t miss your chance to take the next step.

➡️ https://bit.ly/4ffjCNk

A wildlife forensics case does not always look like a crime scene.

Sometimes it looks like an ivory necklace, a handbag, a tin of caviar or a feather that has to be tested, compared and traced back to a species.

That is what makes this work so different. Wildlife forensics has to move across the full range of the animal world, and answers often depend on lab testing, genetics and reference databases that give scientists something to compare the evidence to.

Susan Underkoffler, MFS, instructor and director of our Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation program, was featured in a new Forensics Colleges article sharing what experts wish more people understood about wildlife forensics and why this work deserves more attention.

Read the full article below ⬇️

https://www.forensicscolleges.com/blog/resources/fish-and-wildlife-forensics

Already working in the field of wildlife conservation, ecology or animal protection and looking for your next move?

This is it.

The Wildlife Forensic Sciences and Conservation program is 100% online and designed for professionals who want to enhance their careers without putting their work on hold. Whether you're pursuing a master's degree, a graduate certificate or non-degree courses, we have options that work for your goals. 🌎

Fall applications are open now and there's still time to apply!

➡️ https://bit.ly/49yfeWL