Career Options In The Animal Rights Field: Make A Living & A Difference

May 3, 2023

When thinking about careers in the animal rights field, most people immediately think of the activism/advocacy work with people protesting, advocating on streets or doing investigative work and uncovering cruel treatments within the animal agriculture industry.  There are a number of other careers in the animal rights field for people who are passionate about advocating for animal welfare and fighting against animal cruelty. So, if you are thinking about getting into the animal rights field, here are some ideas of what you can do.

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Career Options in Animal Rights

Law

If you are thinking of becoming a lawyer, becoming an animal rights lawyer might be the perfect fit. Within the field there are different options, you could work for animal rights organizations, defend animal rights activists and generally work to change the laws surrounding animal rights and animal cruelty. Animal Legal Defense Fund is a leading animal law advocacy group, and large animal rescue organizations like The Humane League retain in-house counsel. Animal law isn’t an established program in many law schools, but some prominent schools are beginning to offer it. These include: Harvard Law School, George Washington Law School, and Lewis & Clark Law School.

Research/Academia

Research is the baseline for pretty much everything. The animal rights industry needs people who support them with scientific proof as to why the way animal agriculture currently works is detrimental (aside from the cruelty the animals endure). Whether it is research about the animals, their intelligence, sociability, and sentience, environmental or the health effects of livestock farming—there are so many options to work in research or go into academia and teach new generations. If this sounds like you, check out organizations like Faunalytics.

Politics

Getting into politics can be difficult. Wanting to change laws, policies and regulation is an admirable task, but you will be up against powerful and established parties and politicians who oftentimes do not see animal agriculture and animal rights as the important issue that it is. Nonetheless, getting into politics is an amazing way to try to support the animal rights movement. And you don’t have to be an elected official to make changes politically: check out Voters for Animals Rights.

Advocacy/Activism

Whether you protest on the streets, work for an NGO, become an animal welfare investigator or start a campaign, working in animal advocacy is probably the most well-known part of working in that industry. There are so many fantastic animal activists doing great work, all using different methods and reaching diverse demographics through their work. Whether you have a big platform or are just starting out—any form of activism is a good way to support the animals. What we are doing at Peaceful Dumpling can also be considered activism because we try to spread awareness and share the joy of veganism to hopefully get people inspired to join the journey.

These are just a few examples of the many careers available in the animal rights field. It’s important to find a career that aligns with your values and interests. Working in this field surely can be tough, but you also know why you are doing it and who you are doing it for. Best of luck!

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Photo: Brooke Cagle via Unsplash

Rebecca Willems
A self-described queer vegan feminist, Rebecca is also trying to live a more zero-waste and minimalist life. During her undergraduate and graduate studies she put a lot of focus on sustainability, LGBTQ+ rights and gender issues across the globe. Having lived on 5 continents in many different cultures and being an avid traveler, she loves to learn about new cultures, learn languages, and try all the amazing vegan food across the world.

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