Alternate Careers in Animal Welfare for Animal Lovers

Most animal lovers in Pakistan restrict themselves to personal animal care, and those with the means pursue either degrees in veterinary medicine or set up animal rescue operations and shelters. Thanks to the lack of academic and career counseling across the country, not many Pakistanis are aware of the different career options in animal welfare beyond these two fields that can help them prevent animals from becoming targets of abject cruelty.

Plus, the best thing about a career in animal welfare is that no two days are the same and you’re a hero every day.

The academic requirements for jobs in animal welfare usually depend on the position and industry, but you usually need a Bachelor’s degree in subjects like Wildlife Management or Life Sciences to apply for an entry-level job or for the post of a park ranger or a zookeeper. More senior positions might require advanced degrees in subjects related to Veterinary or Animal Sciences, and a Master’s degree is the way to go if you’re interested in advancing or specializing in a specific aspect of animal welfare.

With the growing local and international concern for animal rights in Pakistan, you could consider becoming a lawyer for animal rights, like Pakistan’s first lawyer, Hira Jaleel, who holds an LL.M. in Animal Law.

She is currently an Animal Law Teaching Fellow at her alma mater, the Lewis & Clark Law School in Oregon, USA, but the lack of animal lawyers in Pakistan should be motivation enough to embark on this much-needed career path.

All the provinces have wildlife departments but not all of them can boast of commendable work, which is why you should consider becoming a wildlife officer like the phenomenal Rizwana Aziz who is actually doing a lot of unparalleled field work in Rawalpindi.

Rizwana Aziz is an Assistant Director Wildlife at the Punjab Wildlife and Parks Department and has been working around the clock to enforce wildlife protection and conservation laws for the last 16 years. Her work involves preventing and penalizing the poaching, shooting, and illegal trading of wild animals and animal articles.

She is currently stationed in Rawalpindi and oversees the activities of the staff across the entire district, especially those related to crimes involving partridges, doves, quails, bears,leopards, pangolins, and other animals.

As per her job requirement, she has a Master’s degree in Zoology from Bahauddin Zakariya University (BZU), Multan, and an M.Phil in Wildlife Management from PMAS-Arid Agriculture University Rawalpindi.

Ailya Khan is a Lead Strategy Consultant for Animal Alliance Asia (AAA) – an international capacity-building organization that provides culturally appropriate education to animal advocates and organizations in a number of local languages.

Her job requirements are more skill-based than qualification-based, and it allows her to work in several other capacities for AAA, most notably as its Coordinator for Pakistan.

Organizations and departments now rely heavily on communicating via social media platforms, and are particular about their PR communication. If you have a degree in English, Mass Communication, Public Relations, Advertising, Journalism, or Marketing, you could apply for the roles of Communication Strategist and Social Manager.

Pia Einheimler works as a Field Mission Coordinator in FOUR PAWS International’s Department of Reveal and Rescue Response. She specializes in rescuing animals in conflict and disaster zones and has worked in Sudan, the Middle East, South Africa, and Pakistan, helping several types of animals, including elephants, lions, and dogs.

Pia has a degree in Human-Animal Relationship Studies, and working at a veterinary clinic and animal shelter and volunteered for national animal rescues and first aid for eight years before she joined FOUR PAWS.

In her current role, she plans, coordinates, and execute complex rescue missions, which, in her own words “requires a comprehensive understanding of project management, logistics, lobbying and the capacity to collaborate effectively with various departments within the organization as well as with local communities and government officials is crucial to ensure a successful, well-supported mission with clear objectives and key messages.”

According to her, “Understanding the specific needs and challenges faced by animals which are suffering under direct human influence is essential for effective operations.”

Besides all this, Pia’s work is bolstered by a deep knowledge of animal welfare and its relations to humans, which she says is imperative.

The world belongs to all animals as much as it belongs to us. The only difference is that we can make the difference that they need, which is why the coolest superhuman thing you can do is make the world a better place for us all to live in together.