The Department of Wildlife Ecology had its origin in 1933 when the University of Wisconsin-Madison created a Chair in Game Management for Professor Aldo Leopold. Six years later, Leopold formed the Department of Wildlife Management, the first academic department in the world ever dedicated specifically to the emerging field of wildlife management.

In1966, the present Department name was adopted because ecology rather than management more appropriately described the Department's emphasis in research and teaching. The Department initiated its undergraduate program in 1967,and became the home of the Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit in 1973.

As of 2002, the Department team includes nine professors and four academic staff. Visiting scientists, research associates, postdoctoral students, and emeritus faculty augment the permanent staff. The undergraduate enrollment totals about 140, graduate students number about 25, and approximately 500 B.S. degrees,190 M.S. degrees, and 65 Ph.D. degrees have been awarded.

The research activities of the Department have traditionally centered on population ecology at both the fundamental and applied levels. Species and habitat relationships at the landscape scale and management options which may enhance or conserve biodiversity now complement the traditional emphasis.

Current research interests of the Department's faculty center on such fundamental topics as behavioral ecology, predator-prey interactions, nutritional and physiological ecology, and landscape ecology. Applied areas include game species management, ecology of rare and endangered species, wildlife damage management, ecosystem health and management, habitat fragmentation, environmental impact assessment, and land management programs for wildlife.