The Real Zootopia: What animals do for their nine-to-five and why we should celebrate them
- Louisa Neill
- Jun 15
- 5 min read
Louisa Neill dives into the world of working animals and discovers how they support our conservation efforts as well as other aspects of our lives. She also explores the organisations that protect working animals from exploitation.
An ox or cow pulling a cart. Credit: Louwel Nicolas on Unsplash
The notion and practice of engaging with animals to facilitate more efficient work is a long-held and fundamental tenet of human society. Around 2,000 years ago, the Bible stated in the book of Genesis that humans 'have dominion' over the natural world.
Reaching further back in time, our transition from hunter-gatherers to farmers around 11,000 years ago (or possibly even earlier) was undoubtedly helped along by domesticated animals, ranging from oxen to plough our fields to dogs and cats for defence, pest control and companionship.
Recent estimates put the number of working animals in the world today at approximately 200 million, which are directly linked to the work of somewhere between 300-600 million people, especially in low-income countries. With so many animals in need of their own context-appropriate protection, International Working Animal Day was created by the Society for the Protection of Animals Abroad (SPANA). This day, which will celebrate its 10th anniversary on the 15th of June, aims to raise awareness for all working animals in order to safeguard their welfare and educate and support those who care for them.
When we imagine working animals - or, more generally, animals that provide humans with a service - we may just think of farm animals that we ride and which feed or clothe us. However, the intelligence and unique traits possessed by some animals mean that working animals can come in many forms and fulfil a huge diversity of tasks, without which life would be much harder.
A team of horses pulling a plough. Credit: Randy Fath on Unsplash
Equines are particularly important working animals, as donkeys and horses are often the primary mode of transport for people and goods in low-income countries. They are also the foundation of extremely lucrative (and understandably controversial) industries such as horse racing and eventing in wealthier countries. Other working animals include police dogs, messenger pigeons during World War II, elephants used for tourism in Southeast Asia, camels involved in races and beauty contests in the Middle East; the list goes on and on.
There is another fascinating niche emerging within the world of working animals: those used for conservation (or conservation-adjacent) projects. Dogs have a powerful sense of smell, which has increasingly been put to use to detect animals, parts of their bodies (on the black market, for example) or their faeces. The range of applications when using dogs to track animals for conservation is huge, and a report by Dr James Borrell provides a list of links to many conservation projects that are employing dogs as helpers.
A dog in a forest, seemingly alert to something in the distance. Credit: Olly Down on Unsplash
One of particular note is a 'scat-detection dog' named Tucker owned by the director of the University of Washington’s Center for Conservation Biology, Sam Wasser. Tucker joins researchers on boat trips out into Puget Sound and has been trained to detect and therefore direct the researchers to killer whale poo - also known as scat - located as far as a mile away from the boat.
Collection of scat is important for orca conservation because, according to Wasser, it reveals a 'treasure trove of information’, and can be used to identify individuals and any toxins that may be present in their bodies. As the top predators of their ecosystem, killer whales suffer from bioaccumulation of pesticides and other harmful chemicals, so knowing the level of toxins in the population is essential to determining the scale of potential damage and which individuals are worst affected.
Jumping from the USA to Aotearoa (New Zealand), dogs owned by members of the public are being used to sniff out both invasive and threatened native species of plants, animals and fungi. The government-run Conservation Dogs Programme has facilitated the training of 120 ‘certified conservation dogs’ that operate on the mainland, local islands and in the ports between them. They eradicate pests, identify native protected species and prevent transport of invasives to the islands.
Aotearoa is plagued by many non-native species, including stoats, Argentine ants and the velvet leaf plant. However, this area also has many valuable species to preserve, especially birds such as the kiwi and kākāpō, making the support of the conservation dogs invaluable. The programme has been running since the 1980s and is extremely comprehensive, with certification taking around a year and a half to complete. It has proven to be so pioneering and successful that the government has even supported the UK, Australia, Japan and others in creating their own programs.
A rat being held by a person and wearing a harness. Credit: Siborey Sean on Unsplash
When someone envisions a working animal, it is extremely unlikely that a rat would come to mind. Despite this, the ‘HeroRATs’ initiative led by Dutch organisation APOPO is training giant African pouched rats - with their excellent sense of smell - to detect landmines in Angola, Senegal, Cambodia and even Ukraine.
The rats are too lightweight to set off the landmines and work along a wire in a grid pattern with a handler in a nearby safe zone. When they smell TNT, they alert their handler and receive a food reward. This method is fast, cheap and accurate, as the rats have to achieve a 100% success rate in locating landmines in training to graduate to fieldwork. A human would take up to 4 days to clear an area about the size of a tennis court, but rats can clear the same area in around 30 minutes, meaning more land can be returned to locals in less time.
APOPO’s newer branch of the HeroRats project is designed to allow faster detection of human tuberculosis in Ethiopia, Mozambique and Tanzania. So far, detection rates using sputum samples from patients at local clinics have been increased by 40%, and samples that rats have indicated are positive for TB are always checked by clinicians first before a diagnosis is made. Treatment can then begin immediately.
As inspiring and wholesome as these stories may be, it is also important to acknowledge that working animals are often exposed to poor standards of living and abuse in both wealthy and developing nations. This could be due to a lack of care, low income or simply low standards of living due to the industry they are working in.
This is particularly true of animals used for scientific experiments, such as rats, mice and macaques, as well as animals used for cosmetic tests and in factory farming. International Working Animal Day is hence so important: the treatment of animals today still has much room for improvement, meaning that raising awareness and funding for the prevention of suffering remains essential.
A monkey in a cage. Credit: Artyom Kabajev on Unsplash
There are many organisations dedicated to preserving the dignity and quality of life of animals with great cultural and economic value. This includes SPANA, the Working Animal Alliance, PETA, World Horse Welfare, and many others working around the world to improve the treatment and convey the value of all working animals.
Whatever your opinion, humans’ long history has forever been intertwined with nature, and the animals that support us in the work we do are just as much a part of this essential web of life as the plants we grow and the other humans we share this planet with. In our efforts to protect the planet, we must ensure that no animal, domestic, working or wild, is left behind.
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