These animal protection agencies are headquartered throughout the country, so you may have to relocate in order to work for them. Some organizations are headed by and do the work of veterinarians, psychologists, or legal specialists; others are more broadly based occupationally. Most rely on a large group of volunteers. As with many other jobs dealing with animal care and welfare, you may want to volunteer with one of these organizations before actually applying for employment. Volunteering for an organization that has a local chapter or branch in your area would help you to decide whether you want to be employed by that organization before you relocate.
As with any organization, animal rights groups also need administrative and clerical staff; personnel and public relations specialists; accountants, bookkeepers, and auditors; and computer programmers and operators.
Some organizations have a well-established structure, with a board of directors, chief executive officer, and other officers, including vice-presidents, secretaries, and treasurers. Other groups may be more flexible, but administration will always have certain responsibilities, such as setting policy and procedures and hiring and training personnel.
Many other possibilities for employment exist in the field of animal rights. Since more and more laws are pending that affect animals, lawyers will be needed to testify at public hearings, litigate on behalf of animals' rights, and advise animal rights organizations.
The public's growing awareness of the factory farming system will create a need for farm animal behaviorists to work toward more humane treatment of all farm animals, including pigs, cows, and veal calves, cattle, and chicks and hens.
Veterinarians will be needed to teach in educational facilities to encourage alternatives to animal use in laboratories and in surgical procedures. Psychologists will be needed to examine and alter public attitudes toward animals. The field of alternatives to animals in research is rapidly growing because of new technologies and the use of human cells and epidemiological studies to investigate the causes of human diseases.
Some animal protection organizations maintain shelters for rescued animals or wildlife preserves. These need wildlife biologists and behaviorists and often wildlife refuge managers.
People with a journalism background are also needed because of their writing ability and knowledge of the media. Most animal rights organizations need people who know how to write press releases and have contacts with the working press to help publicize the organization's work. Investigators and researchers are always needed in animal rights work, in addition to animal advocates in all fields.
For professional occupations, such as physician, veterinarian, psychologist, lawyer, and teacher, you will, of course, need specialized education and training. The same applies to budding biologists, ornithologists, and aquarists.
Many of these organizations have grown from grass-roots movements, and no particular education or training in animal work is necessary for employment. Organizational and communications skills and a deep commitment to the cause are helpful, though, and reliability, dependability, and willingness to work long hours are also valuable qualifications.
As society changes, as technology advances, as new laws are passed or rescinded, new organizations will be founded and new people will be needed for the work. Since these organizations are fairly new in the field of animal work, the prospects for the future are quite good. The work on alternatives to animals, the possibilities for developing products without animal experimentation, the increasing use of human cells for research, and the refusal of many veterinary students to operate on live, healthy animals- all of these mean new employment opportunities for professionals and nonprofessionals alike.
Researchers who are trained in preventive medicine and humane research techniques, instead of such traditional methods as infusing tobacco smoke or cocaine into an animal's body, should be in great demand. The Rutgers University Animal Rights Law Clinic, a new group, will help students in their struggle against dissection and vivisection in veterinary schools. The American Bar Association now has an Animal Protection Committee, which publishes the newsletter Animal Law Report.
With the Animal Bill of Rights being sent to Congress, even more possibilities may open up for those of you who work in the legal side of animal work. This bill of rights basically guarantees that animals will remain free of cruel treatment and exploitation, that farm animals are granted basic needs, and that wildlife is entitled to a natural habitat, among other items.
With more and more emphasis being placed on the survival of the total environment through the preservation of whole ecological systems, the plight of animals will be increasingly publicized and more people will be needed than ever before to work toward solving these myriad problems. You might be one of them.
If you are interested in a career with one of these organizations, contact the one you feel suits you best and find out whether your talents and skills could be utilized. Or you may see a need currently unaddressed and decide to found your own group. You need to become aware of what is being done on behalf of animals and what still needs to be accomplished. This may entail a great deal of preliminary reading, becoming a member of an organization that does the work you're interested in, and performing volunteer work for that organization.
