Many children, and indeed adults, say that they would love to spend their time working with animals. This usually involves a list of jobs like being a vet, working at a zoo, on a farm or at an animal shelter.
In contrast, there are a growing number of people who love animals so much that they are putting the needs of the animals first, and these are people who spend their time working for animals.
I think I may have coined this phrase because when I do a search for it - “how to work for animals” - all that comes up is results for “working with animals” and “jobs with animals”.
If this is a new phrase, I'd be delighted, but of course I only came up with it by standing on the shoulders of giants, in this case the incredible Jo-Anne McArthur.
Moving Animals is a powerful short documentary by We Animals Media. It features Jo-Anne McArthur and she opens with the line, “I’m not a photographer of animals, I’m a photographer for animals.”
By watching documentaries and listening to podcasts and reading books and blogs, I’ve immersed myself in the world of people who work to improve the circumstances of all of earth’s creatures. These crusaders do often spend their time with and around animals, but they indisputably work for them.
People who work for animals dedicate their time to ending the exploitation and suffering of animals. At the risk of dissolving into a fluttering fan-girl, my list of people who work for animals includes Jo-Anne McArthur, Damien Mander, Earthling Ed, Vegan Hactivists, How I Vegan podcast, Ryuji Chua, Leela Hazzah, George Monbiot, Cruelty-Free International, Seb Alex, the Vegan Society, Wildlife Vets International, Brenda Sanders, Go Vegan World, Faunalytics, Peter Singer, Veganuary, Eurogroup for Animals, Animal Rising and Molly Elwood.
It encompasses educators, protestors, writers, lawyers and filmmakers. And that’s even before I get to all the courageous animal activists who risk their lives and freedom to bring us footage of the horrors that humans can inflict upon sentient beings.
The great news is that I could go on naming people who work for animals all day, and the list is constantly expanding. If you want to learn how to help animals just spend some time on the websites and social media of any of the above to see all the different skills and talents that can be brought to bear: videography, photography, digital marketing, creative writing, financial planning, business skills, marketing and fundraising skills, and many more.
Practical or creative, introvert or extrovert, willful or adaptive, driven or a dreamer - whatever your unique talents and characteristics, there's a place for you in the workforce for animals.
Sources:
Moving Animals documentary by We Animals Media.
https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/business-skills
https://resumecat.com/career/fundraiser/skills
