Elmwood Park Zoo Granted AZA Accreditation

The Association of Zoos and Aquariums’ (AZA) independent Accreditation Commission (the Commission) met virtually this week to complete its Fall 2022 cycle of reviewing accreditation applications for AZA accreditation.

The AZA accreditation process includes a detailed application and a meticulous on-site, multiple-day inspection by an independent team of expert zoological professionals. The inspecting team analyzes all aspects of the facility’s operation, including animal welfare and wellbeing; veterinary care; keeper training; safety for visitors, staff, and animals; educational programs; conservation efforts; financial stability; risk management; governance; and guest services. Detailed reports from the inspection team and the facility are then thoroughly evaluated by the Commission. Finally, the Accreditation Commission interviews top officials at a formal hearing, after which accreditation is fully granted, provisionally granted for one year, or denied.

Of the accreditation applications reviewed during the virtual hearings, all six were previously accredited facilities.

The approved applicants for AZA accreditation during the virtual hearings include:

Alaska SeaLife Center
Elmwood Park Zoo
Grizzly and Wolf Discovery Center
Lincoln Children’s Zoo
Northwest Trek Wildlife Park
Ripley’s Aquarium of Canada

Each facility underwent a thorough review to make sure it has and will continue to meet ever-rising standards, which emphasize animal wellbeing, veterinary programs, conservation, education, and safety. AZA requires facilities to complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years as a condition of Association membership.

“As a testament to the value of AZA accreditation, our Commission could not get through the sheer number of applications during three days of hearings at our recent Annual Conference in Baltimore. So, we had to extend the process virtually,” said Dan Ashe, President and CEO of AZA. “In addition to our 238 accredited members, our Pathway Toward Membership program currently has more than two dozen facilities working toward AZA accreditation, all of whom are doing so because they recognize AZA accreditation as the pinnacle for any zoological facility. Our rigorous standards are backed by science, constantly evolving, and rooted in animal wellbeing, which assures the public the animals at AZA-accredited facilities are receiving the best care possible.”

There are currently 238 AZA-accredited facilities and 15 AZA-certified related facility members throughout the U.S. and 12 other countries. For a complete list of accredited AZA facilities, please visit https://www.aza.org/current-accreditation-list.

About AZA

Founded in 1924, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. AZA is the accrediting body for the top zoos and aquariums in the United States and 12 other countries. Look for the AZA accreditation logo whenever you visit a zoo or aquarium as your assurance that you are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great experience for you, and a better future for all living things. The AZA is a leader in saving species and your link to helping animals all over the world. To learn more, visit www.aza.org.

SAFE Update: Invest in the Nest- One Year Later

Last year, Elmwood Park Zoo played a role in helping to promote the Kickstarter campaign, and to encourage our guests, volunteers, and staff to actively participate in the SAFE program for African penguins.

Excerpt taken from the September 2018 issue of “Connect” magazine:

African penguin populations have declined from more than one million to just 25,000 breeding pairs over the last century, due largely to human activity. The birds naturally nest in guano, but over-harvesting of guano for fertilizer has resulted in only about 27 natural nests being left. A lack of nests means a lack of protection for eggs, which are vulnerable to overheating on bare rock in the hot sun and increased predation. The SAFE: Saving Animals From Extinction African penguin program is working to address this threat and help save wild African penguins. Exactly one year ago, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums and the SAFE African penguin program launched an “Invest in the Nest” Kickstarter campaign to raise $150,000 in just 30 days to fund the creation and installation of artificial nests for penguin colonies in South Africa and Namibia. With the help of the zoo and aquarium community and thousands of generous Kickstarter backers from around the world, we surpassed our goal and our stretch goal, enabling AZA members to invest in more than 2,000 artificial nests.

Now, some of those nests are home to African penguins in the wild. This past fall, our team of scientists from Dallas Zoo and partners constructed the first 200 artificial nests for wild colony and durability testing. The artificial nests were specifically designed for temperature control and predator protection, and crafted individually by hand to give the penguins a home in which to raise their young. These nests, inanition to monitoring and security equipment, have been installed at two penguin colonies so far. Already, we’re seeing results. Just two weeks after the nests were installed, researchers shared that penguins at Bird Island had laid eggs in 65 percent of the nests in the Dyer Island colony also had eggs. The usage rate of the nests continues to climb as the breeding season progresses. Almost all of the nests (96%) have been occupied at some point following their installation.

What’s next? The SAFE African penguin program and partners will continue to collect and analyze the environmental data, and use these findings to further improve nest designs. We plan to build hundreds more nests, and in the long-term, have at least 6,000 artificial nests in penguin colonies to support the next generation of African penguins. But African penguins face multiple threats, all of which still need to be addressed. Through SAFE, AZA and partners are collaborating on additional research projects, including individual identification, health monitoring, disaster response, public engagement, and the African Penguin Species Survival Plan program.