Why the Planet Needs People Who Love Animals

I used to think it was "cringe" to want to work with animals, but people who truly love and understand animals are the ones who will save our planet.

When people would ask me, “What do you want to do after college?" or “Why are you majoring in marine science?" my response was always shy and self-conscious. I would reply with something like, “Well, I want to work with animals," and then I would feel the need to add, “so I can learn more about them to help conserve them like Jane Goodall did with the chimps." 

It felt so cheesy to say I wanted to work with animals. I constantly heard the remark, “Oh okay, cool, you just play with dolphins all day.” You could always feel a little bit of judgment behind it, like my career was just a hobby. The short answer is yes, but the long answer is that it is so much more. We are building relationships with these incredible animals and getting an inside look of their incredibly intelligent and complex minds.

Wanting to work with animals is not cheesy. It is fundamental behavior work that bridges the gap between scientific research and public impact.

By creating a relationship with such an incredible animal, they trust us to work with them on husbandry behaviors and participate in research projects where we can learn more about their species. All of the observations and "play" we are having are actually allowing us to learn more about them and help protect their wild counterparts. We can share our relationships with people who come to see the animals and inspire others to want to care for these animals.

By building relationships, we are making these animals more relatable for the human species to understand. And we all know when you understand something is when you truly care.

So long story short, wanting to work with animals is not cheesy. It is extremely important work that is fundamental to the conservation of their species.

If you work with animals or have a dream to one day work with animals, you know that this is more than just a hobby; it’s a career that will save our planet.