Put Your Compassion to Work

Do you want a job helping animals? Well, you can always apply for a position at PETA. Or if you’re in high school or just starting college, you might want to consider taking classes that will prepare you to go into animal law, veterinary medicine or ethics.

Voiceless: The Animal Protection Institute has helped establish animal law as a discipline at many universities. At least 14 law schools in Australia currently offer or are planning to offer classes on the subject. Students should take a variety of classes, including sociology, political science, psychology, economics, history, anthropology, science, mathematics, logic, philosophy and computer science, to prepare for a career in animal law.

How about attending the Centre for Animal Welfare and Ethics at the University of Queensland School of Veterinary Medicine? Workers there have helped identify problems with live exports and improved the welfare of captive wombats, tigers, monkeys and other wild animals, in addition to that of animals who are subjected to cruel laboratory experiments.

Of course, people in all professions can help animals. Teachers, for example, can incorporate humane education into their lesson plans, and office workers can work to get vegan options in their workplace cafeterias. And everyone, young or old, can help animals in their spare time by volunteering at shelters or interning at an animal organisation.

Posted by Claire Fryer