Put Your Brilliant Ideas to Good Use . . .for the Animals

December 3, 2015Posted inAll articles, Career options, Featured articles

Penguin jumping into ocean

By Paula Fitzsimmons

If you’re a member of the animal or eco protection movement, you already know about the mountains of problems we face. There are no shortage of them, either – the sixth great extinction, deforestation, climate change, industrial exploitation, companion animal overpopulation, loss of coral reefs, to name a few. It’s disconcerting. . . downright overwhelming when you take time to really think about it.

Which is why news about people working towards solutions gives me a sense of hope. Take the recent Outside magazine article about marine biologist Sylvia Earle, for instance. Dr. Earle and her colleagues have been warning us for decades about the tolls pollution, overfishing, mining, and climate change have taken on marine environments.

Want to Become an Animal Doc? First Ask Yourself These 6 Questions

September 1, 2015Posted inAll articles, Career options, Featured articles

Dog VeterinarianBy Paula Fitzsimmons

Veterinary medicine has got to be one of the most undervalued professions on the planet. The path to becoming a veterinarian begins with rigorous academic training . . . at great personal financial expense that often leads to debt.

Vets get pooped on and bitten by their patients – no animal in his or her right mind actually looks forward to seeing the vet.

They also regularly deal with a range of human personalities and quirks. For instance, not everyone understands why they actually have to pay more than a few bucks for professional services. As if vets should work for free.

What Cecil the Lion’s Tragic Death Can Teach Us About Passion – in Activism & Career

July 29, 2015Posted inAll articles, Inspiration & ideas

African Lion with quoteBy Paula Fitzsimmons

The tragic death of Cecil, the lion killed outside of Zimbabwe’s Hwange National Park has sparked outrage. And rightly so. Trophy hunting – the killing of an animal for the sake of “sport” – is despicable in its own right. What adds to this fury is that Cecil was apparently beloved, and according to National Geographic, one of the region’s best known and most studied lions. And with fewer than 21,000 lions remaining in Africa (according to African Wildlife Foundation) how can trophy hunting even be justified?