Jobs can be found around the globe. Here in the United States, positions are available in major metropolitan areas and small towns, near beaches and on farms. Where you work depends on the type of position you want. Veterinarians can work pretty much anywhere in the country. More opportunities are available in rural areas on farms.

Marine biologists will want to be around water — whether it's an aquarium in a large city or in a research facility close to the ocean. People who work in zoos go where the jobs take them; that could be a major city or a wildlife center at a national park.

Most of the people employed at American Humane's Film & TV Unit are located in Los Angeles, the film capital. Still, others who work on-call for the Film & TV Unit can live in a variety of cities. They just have to be ready to board a plane to take them wherever a movie is filming. The representative who worked on the Harry Potter films is an American who has spent most of the past five years living in England on movie sets making sure that the animals in these movies were treated humanely.

Leading a safari doesn't mean moving to Africa — although it could. Many wildlife safaris exist right here in the United States. William P. Rives, VMD and director of Six Flags Wild Safari, lives close to the Great Adventure safari in Jackson, New Jersey.

Animal welfare specialist Dr. Kenneth Gold, who works on-call with American Humane, travels around the country often. He doesn't always know where he will wind up; it all depends on where a movie, TV show, or commercial is being filmed. He likes the travel and the work. He resides with his wife in Chicago, and has worked as a general curator at the Singapore Zoo and at Apenheul Primate Park in The Netherlands.

Some jobs require travel, but most are local. These local positions — be it at a pet shop, doggie daycare center, pet hotel, shelter, veterinary clinic, or zoo — can be right around the corner from your home. Travel is not necessary. The lion's share of Jim Burwell's business is close to home, though he does travel on occasion. “I do get calls to travel, and it is fine every once in a while,” he says. “One of the perks about this job is that I am local and make my own hours.”