By Paula Fitzsimmons
Rescues are filled with animals who have suffered to some degree in their previous lives. Then there’s shelter life, rife with its own unique challenges – from the stress of being in a new environment, to increased vulnerability to outbreaks.
Balancing the needs of individual animals with that of the group’s isn’t a cake walk for shelter staff, either.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Jennifer Hartman
Conservation canines and their handlers are playing a vital role in wildlife protection. Dogs have an unrivaled ability to detect scat from dozens of species – scientists use these samples to learn more about a wild population’s behaviors, movements, and feeding patterns. This data is valuable not only in fighting wildlife crimes, but it can aid in forming effective and humane wildlife management policies.
The dogs, who primarily come from rescues, have to possess certain characteristics to make the cut – namely, a playful spirit, boundless energy, and the ability to work in the field for hours at a time.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Jennifer Hartman
With wildlife poaching at epidemic levels and time the enemy, fighting these crimes has never been as critical. Conservationists fortunately have effective tools at their disposable, most of them technological in nature – DNA analyses, acoustic traps, and radio collars, to name a few. But one tool, which some conservationists claim is even more effective, turns out to be our four-legged canine friends.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Angela Grimes
All animal protection and care jobs are important in their own right. Animal caregivers, administrators, veterinary professionals, humane officers, sanctuary operators, and others working in this field all play a vital role. Yet their important work wouldn’t be possible without incoming cash. Animal food, rent, employee salaries, vet services, and administrative costs don’t come cheaply. Yep, it’s similar to running a business.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with J. Christopher Scott
If you’re an animal advocate, you’ve likely heard of The Great Chimpanzee Migration – the nine-year undertaking in which chimps “donated” by the Coulston Foundation were transported from New Mexico to their new sanctuary home in Florida. The organization that took on this monumental task is Save the Chimps, a sanctuary now situated on 150 acres in sub-tropic Fort Pearce.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Adam Roberts
If you’ve thought about a career with a major wildlife advocacy organization, you’re not alone. It’s a dream for many an animal activist. . . so your contributions have to be pretty special.
Passion and a desire to make a difference for animals are, of course, vital to working in this field – but so are other skills and characteristics. To help define what this specifically means, I’ve asked Born Free’s chief executive officer, Adam M. Roberts for his input.
By Paula Fitzsimmons with Karen Windsor
Do you think you have what it takes to snag that dream job at an animal shelter or welfare organization? A lot of people want to work with animals, but it takes a special person – one with the right skills, level of commitment, passion, and attitude – to land the job.
To help you gain insights into what these organizations look for in applicants, I’m conducting a series of interviews with managers from an assortment of animal advocacy groups.