I spent years chasing ghosts on Rábida—tracing data that felt as extinct as the gecko everyone swore was gone. We logged hours, baited rats, ran protocols until my hands shook. The grant money was tight, the pressure tighter. I started to hate the word 'historic.' When the gecko showed up, alive, everyone cheered. I just stared at the screen, numb. Five thousand years it waited, clinging on. I wonder if I’m built for that kind of patience. Or if I’m just the invasive species in my own career, waiting to be eradicated by the next round of cuts. Sometimes I think the only thing that came back was the data. Not me. #Science #ScienceFatigue #ConservationBurnout