I did a deep dive into AZA accreditation and it's amazing at how many American zoos have lost their accreditation in recent years. Salisbury, Jackson, Alameda Park, Living Desert in New Mexico, the excellent Alexandria, Riverside Discovery Center, Henson Robinson, Chahinkapa, Mill Mountain, Erie, Bramble Park, Bergen County, El Paso, etc. It's great that the AZA has clamped down on zoos because maintaining high standards is obviously the overall goal, but I was a bit surprised to see so many recognizable names as it had been a while since I checked the latest list.
The number of overseas AZA accredited facilities has almost doubled just in the past few years, with 25 zoos now and that includes 4 additions from United Arab Emirates. It's fascinating to see the expansion of accreditation across the globe and the master list is always fluid as some zoos gain or lose accreditation each year.
Here's the current total of 212 AZA-accredited U.S. zoos/aquariums and I’ve visited 168 of them = 79% (in bold)
Alabama (1/1) - Birmingham Zoo
Alaska (0/1) - Alaska SeaLife Center
Arizona (5/5) - Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum, OdySea Aquarium, Phoenix Zoo, Reid Park Zoo, Sea Life Arizona
Arkansas (1/1) - Little Rock Zoo
California (21/21) - Aquarium of the Pacific, Birch Aquarium, Cabrillo Marine Aquarium, California Science Center, Central Coast Zoo, CuriOdyssey, Fresno Chaffee Zoo, Happy Hollow Zoo, The Living Desert, Los Angeles Zoo, Monterey Bay Aquarium, Oakland Zoo, Sacramento Zoo, San Diego Zoo, San Diego Zoo Safari Park, San Francisco Zoo, Santa Barbara Zoo, Sea Life Carlsbad, SeaWorld San Diego, Sequoia Park Zoo, Steinhart Aquarium
Colorado (4/5) – Butterfly Pavilion, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, Denver Zoo, Landry’s Downtown Aquarium - Denver, Pueblo Zoo
Connecticut (3/3) - Connecticut’s Beardsley Zoo, Maritime Aquarium, Mystic Aquarium
District of Columbia (1/1) - Smithsonian National Zoo
Delaware (0/1) - Brandywine Zoo
Florida (10/20) – Bailey-Matthews National Shell Museum & Aquarium, Brevard Zoo, Busch Gardens Tampa Bay, Central Florida Zoo, Discovery Cove, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, The Florida Aquarium, Jacksonville Zoo, Lion Country Safari, Marineland, Mote Marine Aquarium, Naples Zoo, Palm Beach Zoo, Santa Fe College Teaching Zoo, Sea Life Orlando, The Seas, SeaWorld Orlando, St. Augustine Alligator Farm Zoological Park, Zoo Miami, Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park
Georgia (2/2) - Georgia Aquarium, Zoo Atlanta
Hawaii (0/1) - Honolulu Zoo
Idaho (2/2) - Tautphaus Park Zoo, Zoo Boise
Illinois (7/7) - Brookfield Zoo, Cosley Zoo, John G. Shedd Aquarium, Lincoln Park Zoo, Miller Park Zoo, Peoria Zoo, Scovill Zoo
Indiana (4/4) - Fort Wayne Children’s Zoo, Indianapolis Zoo, Mesker Park Zoo, Potawatomi Zoo
Iowa (2/2) - Blank Park Zoo, National Mississippi River Museum & Aquarium
Kansas (6/7) - Hutchinson Zoo, Lee Richardson Zoo, Rolling Hills Wildlife Adventure, Sedgwick County Zoo, Sunset Zoo, David Traylor Zoo, Topeka Zoo
Kentucky (2/2) - Louisville Zoo, Newport Aquarium
Louisiana (3/3) – Audubon Aquarium & Insectarium, Audubon Zoo, BREC’s Baton Rouge Zoo
Maine - ZERO
Maryland (2/2) - National Aquarium in Baltimore, Maryland Zoo
Massachusetts (2/6) -Buttonwood Park Zoo, Capron Park Zoo, Franklin Park Zoo, Boston Museum of Science, New England Aquarium, Walter D. Stone Memorial Zoo
Michigan (6/6) - Binder Park Zoo, Detroit Zoo, John Ball Zoo, Potter Park Zoo, Saginaw Children’s Zoo, Sea Life Michigan
Minnesota (3/3) - Como Park Zoo, Lake Superior Zoo, Minnesota Zoo
Mississippi (1/1) - Hattiesburg Zoo
Missouri (4/6) – Butterfly House, Dickerson Park Zoo, Kansas City Zoo, Saint Louis Zoo, Sea Life Kansas City, Wonders of Wildlife Aquarium
Montana (2/2) - Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center, ZooMontana
Nebraska (3/3) - Lee G. Simmons Conservation Park & Wildlife Safari, Lincoln Children’s Zoo, Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo
Nevada (1/1) – Shark Reef Aquarium
New Hampshire – ZERO
New Jersey (2/4) - Adventure Aquarium, Cape May County Park Zoo, Jenkinson’s Aquarium, Turtle Back Zoo
New Mexico (1/1) - Albuquerque Biological Park (Zoo & Aquarium)
New York (7/12) – Aquarium of Niagara, Bronx Zoo, Buffalo Zoo, Central Park Zoo, New York Aquarium, Prospect Park Zoo, Queens Zoo, Rosamond Gifford Zoo, Seneca Park Zoo, Staten Island Zoo, Trevor Zoo, Utica Zoo
North Carolina (4/8) – Greensboro Science Center, Museum of Life and Science, North Carolina at Fort Fisher, North Carolina Aquarium at Pine Knoll Shores, North Carolina Aquarium on Roanoke Island, North Carolina Zoo, Sea Life Charlotte-Concord, Western North Carolina Nature Center
North Dakota (3/3) - Dakota Zoo, Red River Zoo, Roosevelt Park Zoo
Ohio (5/7) - Akron Zoo, Boonshoft Museum of Discovery, Cincinnati Zoo, Cleveland Zoo, Columbus Zoo, The Wilds, Toledo Zoo
Oklahoma (2/2) - Oklahoma City Zoo, Tulsa Zoo
Oregon (3/3) - Oregon Coast Aquarium, Oregon Zoo, Wildlife Safari
Pennsylvania (2/7) - Clyde Peeling’s Reptiland, Elmwood Park Zoo, Lehigh Valley Zoo, National Aviary, Philadelphia Zoo, Pittsburgh Zoo, ZooAmerica North American Wildlife Park
Rhode Island (1/1) - Roger Williams Park Zoo
South Carolina (3/5) - Brookgreen Gardens, Greenville Zoo, Ripley’s Aquarium at Myrtle Beach, Riverbanks Zoo, South Carolina Aquarium
South Dakota (1/1) - Great Plains Zoo
Tennessee (5/6) - Chattanooga Zoo, Knoxville Zoo, Memphis Zoo, Nashville Zoo, Ripley’s Aquarium of the Smokies, Tennessee Aquarium
Texas (15/17) - Abilene Zoo, Baylor University Bear Habitat, Caldwell Zoo, Cameron Park Zoo, Dallas World Aquarium, Dallas Zoo, Fort Worth Zoo, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, Gladys Porter Zoo, Houston Zoo, Landry’s Houston Aquarium, Longneck Manor, Moody Gardens, San Antonio Zoo, Sea Life Grapevine, SeaWorld San Antonio, Texas State Aquarium
Utah (3/3) – Loveland Living Planet Aquarium, Tracy Aviary, Utah’s Hogle Zoo
Vermont - ZERO
Virginia (2/3) - Virginia Aquarium, Virginia Living Museum, Virginia Zoo
Washington (4/4) - Northwest Trek Wildlife Park, Point Defiance Zoo, Seattle Aquarium, Woodland Park Zoo
West Virginia (0/1) - Oglebay’s Good Zoo
Wisconsin (5/5) - Henry Vilas Zoo, International Crane Foundation, Milwaukee County Zoo, Northeastern Wisconsin (NEW) Zoo, Racine Zoo
Wyoming - ZERO
