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Click on the association title or logo below to find links to other professional associations and groups affiliated with the captive animal care profession!
Click on the association title or logo below to find links to other professional associations and groups affiliated with the captive animal care profession!
AAZK’s purpose is to foster a professional attitude in animal keepers and aquarists by encouraging them to become active members of professional teams at today’s zoos and aquariums. AAZK supports the promotion and implementation of zookeeper education and strives to make the general public aware of our concern for all deserving conservation projects and the need for the preservation of our natural resources and the species that depend on those resources.
Serving as a professional organization for zookeepers, AAZK is a valuable resource for dedicated animal care workers. AAZK is dedicated to advancing animal care, promoting public awareness, enhancing professional development and contributing to local and global conservation through fundraising and stewardship. Our goal is to inspire and motivate through our roles as animal caregivers, educators, and conservationists. Through workshops, conferences, newsletters, and internet forums, AAZK helps animal care staff stay current in husbandry, training, nutrition, and conservation. Well educated keepers using modern techniques means the animals in their care benefit tremendously.
ASAG emerged from shared goals of achieving joint excellence in avian management, providing focus on conservation, and responding to common challenges facing bird programs within AZA institutions. They pride themselves on providing a forum where new people, ideas and visions are welcome and mentoring is valued, as well as working in a cooperative and mutually supportive fashion to achieve our long-term goals. The taxon advisory groups within the Association of Zoos and Aquariums are groups of experts responsible for making recommendations for AZA institutions regarding similar groups of animals (taxa).
The mission of the AASAG is to develop cooperative relationships between the education, research, and animal welfare interests of the zoo and aquarium community around the topic of ambassador animals (a.k.a. program animals). The primary functions of the AASAG are to emphasize the importance of ambassador animals in zoo/aquarium education, to support professional standards in the management and handling of ambassador animals, to provide a forum for those involved in ambassador animal research to share their findings, to establish a resource for new AZA members to get information about ambassador animals, and to ensure that the topic of ambassador animals is continually addressed at AZA meetings.
Based in Yulee, Florida, AAZV is the professional association for individuals and institutions who apply the principles of comparative veterinary medicine to zoo and wildlife species. With over 1000 members, we work in clinical zoo medical practices, diagnostic laboratories, reproductive and pathological laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, and a wide range of governmental health and wildlife management agencies throughout the world. AAZV is an umbrella organization that provides advocacy, collaboration, and partnerships for combined efforts for sustaining and improving the well-being of wildlife in all habitats. The key functions of AAZV are producing the Journal of Zoo and Wildlife Medicine (JZWM), coordinating an annual conference promoting the dissemination of state-of-the-art knowledge in the field of wildlife health and the supporting the Wild Animal Health Fund.
The Animal Behavior Management Alliance, (ABMA) is a not-for-profit corporation with a membership comprised of animal care professionals and other individuals interested in enhancing animal care through training and enrichment. The ABMA is intended to be nurturing and informative, and was created to serve trainers, handlers, and keepers of animals, irrespective of species, with information and assistance in the behavior management of their charges. The Animal Behavior Management Alliance (ABMA) continually strives to advance intentional and enlightened behavior management to improve the lives and welfare of all animals.
The Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums is an international association and the accrediting body for marine parks, aquariums, zoos and research facilities. Alliance-accredited institutions are the gold standard in marine mammal care. With an extensive body of marine mammal knowledge and experience, animal experts at Alliance-accredited facilities dedicate their lives to the well-being of the animals in their care and to the rescue and rehabilitation of marine animals such as sea lions, dolphins, manatees, and sea turtles in need of help.
The Association of Zoo and Aquarium Docents and Volunteers (AZADV) is a growing international not-for-profit association whose purpose is to facilitate communication and the exchange of information between zoo and aquarium docents and volunteers.AZADV promotes this free exchange of ideas between members to enhance educational presentations and to renew enthusiasm for the invaluable service docents contribute to their individual institutions.
The AZFA is a non-profit organization made up of facility professionals from aquariums, zoos and similar animal conservation facilities from across the country and abroad. Our members range from architects, engineers, and management personnel, to tradesmen, animal keepers, grounds and housekeeping staff as well as other professionals that are responsible for the design, construction, and maintenance of animal habitats, facilities, and related equipment.
AALSO members are the water quality and mechanical system professionals that move the water, design and maintain the systems, develop and distribute the products to manage the daily requirements for animals in our care at hundreds of facilities across the world. We care for the systems that make animal care possible. We are a 501 c6 nonprofit organization focusing on the education and training of aquatic life support operators around the world. We as an organization do not act as a consultant to our members directly regarding projects or problems, however, we create a pathway for our members to learn about the latest technology in the industry and act as a forum for members to connect and discuss the care of aquatic animals in captivity.
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation. AZA represents more than 230 institutions in the United States and overseas, which collectively draw more than 183 million visitors every year. These institutions meet the highest standards in animal care and provide a fun, safe, and educational family experience. In addition, they dedicate millions of dollars to support scientific research, conservation, and education programs.
AZH is dedicated to the advancement of horticulture in zoos, zoological parks, botanic gardens, and aquariums. We're an organization of professional horticulturists working in the specialized field of zoo horticulture. AZH works to highlight the importance of plants within zoos and aquariums and seeks to support the horticulturists and gardeners who work in a zoological setting.
The Elephant Managers Association is dedicated to the welfare and survival of the world's elephants through improving communication, husbandry, research, education, and conservation. EMA is an international, nonprofit organization of professional elephant keepers, administrators, veterinarians, researchers, and enthusiasts.
The International Association of Avian Trainers and Educators (IAATE) was founded to foster communication, professionalism, and cooperation among those individuals who serve Avian Science through training, public display, research, husbandry, conservation, and education.Specifically, IAATE recognizes its role in and responsibilities to the continued existence of zoological parks, public and private institutions housing birds. Trainers and other personnel involved in the husbandry and research of birds must have a clear understanding of their individual roles as well as the interplay between themselves, the animals in their care, the communities in which they live and work, and the public which they serve and to which they are ultimately responsible.
The International Congress of Zookeepers (ICZ) is a conglomerate of zookeeper associations from around the world. Our vision is ´a global network of zookeepers contributing to the highest standard of professional animal care and the role of zoos today.
ICZ in comprized of: Animal Keepers and Trainers Association of the Philippines (AKTAP), Asociacion Grupo Argentino Cuidadores de Animales Silvestres (GACAS), Asociación Ibérica de Cuidadores de Animales Salvajes (AICAS), Association Francophone de Soigneurs Animaliers (AFSA), Association of British and Irish Wild Animal Keepers (ABWAK), Australasian Society of Zookeeping (ASZK), Berufsverband der Zootierpfleger (BdZ), Stichting De Harpij (Harpij), Associazione Italiana Guardiani di Zoo (AIGZOO), ZooCentral – Danish Association of Zookeepers (ZooCentral) and of course - the American Association of Zookeepers (AAZK).
The International Marine Animal Trainers' Association was founded to foster communication, professionalism, and cooperation among those who serve marine mammal science through training, public display, research, husbandry, conservation, and education. Specifically, IMATA recognizes its role and responsibilities to the continued existence of oceanaria, aquaria, and laboratories housing marine mammals.
The IZE is an association dedicated to expanding the educational impact of zoos and aquariums worldwide. All of our members are guided by a common mission: to improve the educational programs in the facilities of its members, to provide access to the latest thinking, techniques, and information in conservation education and to support excellence in animal care and welfare. IZE facilitates communication and professional development among zoo/aquarium educators and supports liaison with related organizations such as WAZA (the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums), IUCN, in particular, the IUCN/SSC-CBSG (Conservation Breeding Specialist Group), and others.
The Regional Aquatics Workshop held its first official meeting in 1989. The name was designed to provide lots of elbow room for future development. The meanings intended for each title word by the founding attendees evoke the sentiments that led to RAW and help us understand and preserve its unique character. From 1989 to 2000 RAW meetings were organized by the host institution with informal help from previous hosts and other interested RAW enthusiasts. Attendance has grown from 10 to over 200. The sheer size of the meetings, increasingly complicated logistics, and associated communication issues prompted previous organizers to establish a RAW Advisory Committee in 2001. RAW is not part of any other organization. However its attendees are members of other organizations (AZA, EUAC, etc.) that have found it productive to conduct some of their business in conjunction with RAW meetings [the day before RAW has become the working meeting venue of choice for many AZA conservation committees including the Coral Reef CAP, the Fish and Aquatic Invertebrate TAGs, and the Lake Victoria SSP].
The Terrestrial Invertebrate Taxon Advisory Group (TITAG) was established in 1990, under the auspices of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), to address the pressing need for attention to this important group of animals within member institutions. TITAG provides support and guidance for the conservation and managed care of invertebrates in educational facilities. TITAG has the goal of increasing communication among professionals, institutions, and AZA members involved with the educational exhibition, conservation and captive propagation of invertebrates.
The mission of the ZACC conference is to encourage and promote increased involvement of zoos and aquariums in support of field conservation – locally, nationally and internationally. Held on a biennial basis since 1995, the conference brings field researchers and zoo colleagues together to network, forge relationships and work together to mutually benefit and protect wildlife species and wild places.
The goal of the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums is to guide, encourage and support the zoos, aquariums and like-minded organizations of the world in animal care and welfare, environmental education and global conservation. WAZA is the unifying organization for the world zoo and aquarium community. Our more than 300 members are leading zoos, aquariums, associations, affiliate organizations and corporate partners from around the world.
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