WAZA accreditation

Arizona Docent

Arizona Docent

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
I've noticed some U.S. zoos display stickers on the admission booth that they are members of WAZA (World Association of Zoos & Aquariums) as well as AZA (the U.S. accrediting body). AZA itself is a member of WAZA, as are all the other major national and regional zoo associations. So I am just curious, what is the advantage of an individual zoo being WAZA accredited? On the WAZA website, they list every AZA accredited zoo in the U.S. with the WAZA accredited ones in bold. It appears only about 20% of AZA institutions are also WAZA accredited. Perhaps someone on the forum who is zoo staff can answer this.
 
WAZA does not have an accreditation system--it is simply a membership organization, to which participating institutions pay an annual fee (once they are deemed eligible to belong). It is the outgrowth of it's former self, the International Union of Directors of Zoological Gardens (IUDZG), which was quite literally an "old boys club" of "silverback" zoo directors of major zoos. WAZA now has a broader membership and a mission focused on promoting zoos as conservation organizations, but many US zoos have made the choice that the benefits of WAZA membership are outweighed by the expense. Notably, though, most of the really significant North American zoos are WAZA members.
 
reduakari said:
WAZA does not have an accreditation system--it is simply a membership organization, to which participating institutions pay an annual fee (once they are deemed eligible to belong). ...WAZA now has a broader membership and a mission focused on promoting zoos as conservation organizations, but many US zoos have made the choice that the benefits of WAZA membership are outweighed by the expense...
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Thanks, but I still don't fully understand what are the benefits?
 
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