Association of Zoos and Aquariums

?? For the first time in 40 years, Canada is hosting the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) Annual Conference, and we’re thrilled to welcome it right here in Calgary from September 14-19, 2024! ?? We’re proud to showcase our dedication to protecting wildlife and wild places while connecting with over 2,200 zoo and aquarium professionals from around the world. ???? This week will be packed with 150+ educational sessions, tours of Alberta’s iconic destinations like Banff and Lake Louise, and ZooDay on September 19th, where attendees will experience our animal care, conservation, and sustainability practices firsthand. As we mark this milestone, we’re also excited about the substantial economic benefits and cultural value this conference will bring to our vibrant city. ?? We look forward to connecting with fellow conservationists and making a lasting impact on our local community and the broader zoological field. Read more: https://bit.ly/4emosp0 #YourZooYYC #AZA2024 #blueskycity Tourism Calgary

Has professional development been on your mind? It's been on ours! Now is the perfect time to register for one of AZA's courses! ?? On the agenda: "Creating Successful Exhibits"! ??? ?? This course, designed for zoo/aquarium staff, provides an integrated overview of a team-based #Exhibit development process. "Creating Successful Exhibits" follows the phases of an exhibit project from the formation of the team, through concept planning, #Design and #Construction, to #Operation. ?? Full attention is given to techniques that improve an exhibit's impact on #Visitors. This program is a classroom-based workshop and does not include hands-on training in fabrication. The course will take place from November 11th to the 16th in Baltimore, MD! Registration is open until October 10. Are you an AZA Pathways Member? Early Bird rates have been extended until October 10! ?? Learn more and register: https://bit.ly/3zgSThp. #ProfessionalDevelopment #AZAServices #CreatingSuccessfulExhibits #Baltimore

How do YOU feel welcomed at AZA-accredited facilities? ?? Across cultural attractions, there is a tremendous focus on ensuring guests feel welcomed with a diverse, equitable, accessible, and inclusive visitor experience. “Over the years we’ve seen cultural attractions adapt to the needs and wants of guests and it’s important that we continue to...[extend] hospitality in ways that are unique, meaningful and respectful...", said Sean McNicholas, who is part of the ownership team at SSA Group. "It is fundamental to how we operate." With more than 90 #Zoos, #Museums, and #Aquarium partners, each with a unique approach to #DEAI, SSA strives to ensure that every visitor feels welcomed and valued. Important #Leaders in DEAI include Rory James at the Saint Louis Zoo, Jess Kohring at the Los Angeles Zoo and Botanical Gardens, and Elkin Alfred at the Denver Zoo Conservation Alliance, who recently all shared their perspectives in Connect. ?? Learn more about the actions these innovators are taking: https://bit.ly/47kZfJ3. #GuestExperience #Hospitality #Diversity #Equity #Accessibility #Inclusivity #SaintLouis #LosAngeles #Denver

AZA is excited to announce the 46th SAFE Species program, which focuses on conserving the Thick-billed Parrot ??. This program is a result of collaborative partnerships between AZA-accredited institutions, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS), Arizona Game and Fish Department, regional partners in Mexico and the United States, and others to promote the recovery and conservation of Thick-billed Parrot within the Sierra Madre Occidental mountains of northern #Mexico. ?? After disappearing from the U.S. in the 1930s, the Thick-billed Parrot now only lives in a small area of high-elevation pine forests ??. These vibrant birds play a vital role in maintaining their ecosystem by eating seeds before they can spread. ?? The main goals of this #SAFE program will be to increase awareness about the Thick-billed Parrot, utilize its status as an umbrella species to focus broader habitat and #Ecosystem conservation activities, and most crucially, stabilize, protect, and restore the last wild populations in Mexico, which are currently estimated at around 2,000 individuals. ?? Learn more about the program and how you can get involved: https://bit.ly/3MCNC6Z. #SAFE #Parrots #Conservation

?? The highly anticipated "Animal Welfare: Evidence-Based Management" course is now open for registration! Hosted by Brookfield Zoo Chicago from October 13-18, this unique course provides hands-on experience in the science of animal welfare and its practical applications. Building on the entry-level online course developed by the AZA Animal Welfare Committee, you'll learn directly from experts and develop essential skills to implement evidence-based management programs that promote the highest standards of animal welfare. ?? ?? Join fellow community members and instructors from leading institutions, including Detroit Zoological Society, Birmingham Zoo, and The Toledo Zoo & Aquarium. Participants will gain key knowledge of animal welfare science and AZA standards, enhance their ability to assess and improve welfare programs, and strengthen leadership strategies for evidence-based management. ? Registration closes on September 20! AZA Pathways Members: Early Bird rates have also been extended until the deadline on the 9/20! You can learn more about course registration here ??: https://bit.ly/3zi9Tnp. #AnimalScience #AnimalWelfare #AnimalManagement #AZA #ProfessionalDevelopment #Zoo #Aquarium

On International Save the Vaquita Day, we want to highlight the importance of this astounding species and how you can support SAFE Vaquita ?? The vaquita is the world’s most endangered marine mammal, threatened by entanglement in gill nets which are used to capture Totoaba for sale of its bladder in the illegal wildlife trade. The International Committee for the Recovery of the Vaquita, of which SAFE is a part, is a team of #Scientists established by the government of Mexico. In 2019, combined efforts that support vaquita #Conservation removed and destroyed over 1,720 gill nets from the Vaquita Refuge in the Upper Gulf of California and almost 1,400 pieces of illegal fishing gear. The solution to vaquita #Recovery is more complex than removing gill nets and illegal fishing gear. To be successful, all stakeholders must work in concert to ensure coexistence between people, wildlife, and ecosystems, and only then will the species of the Upper Gulf, and the #Vaquita, thrive. ?? In January 2020, SAFE vaquita was awarded funding from AZA’s SAFE Granting Program to conduct a series of workshops to promote information exchange with the fishermen and law enforcement in San Felipe, Mexico, in hopes that open dialogue will further the creation of #Sustainable fisheries in the Upper Gulf. Learn more about what can be done for the Vaquita: https://bit.ly/3A1Zbxw #SAFE #SAFEVaquita #MarineMammal #EndangeredSpecies #Sustainability #Entanglement #IllegalWildlifeTrade #CIRVA

Making #ZooBorn history at the Detroit Zoological Society! ?? The Zoo announced that a baby #Gorilla of 26 year old Bandia, a first-time mother, has been born for the first time in the Zoo’s 96-year history. The #Zoo is pleased to report that mom and baby, along with the father, 36-year-old Mshindi, are all doing very well.?????? The new gorilla, who does not yet have a name, is now the fifth to call the Zoo home. The Detroit Zoo mammal and primate teams, along with #Veterinary staff, have been working for months to not only prepare Bandia for #Motherhood, but also to make sure the rest of the troop was ready for the baby’s arrival. ?? Bandia and her baby will be closely monitored in the coming days and weeks. Animal care staff will be carefully watching for #Maternal and nursing #Behaviors while tracking milestones such as eye movements, sound recognition and object grasping along the way. ?? ?? The other gorillas will continue to be observed as well to see how they behave and react to the addition of the baby to their #Troop. Read more about the exciting #ZooBaby in Connect: https://bit.ly/3XuWGkt #AnimalHealth #Primates #Detroit #Michigan #Biology #Milestone

As the retail operator in more than 35 AZA-accredited facilities and science center stores, Event Network, LLC has sought to address issues of #Accessibility and #Equity within their store environments. ?? The company reached out to California Academy of Sciences, Woodland Park Zoo, and Mystic Aquarium to see how their partners addressed issues of pricing and how they ensured that their mission and values were reaching the most underserved communities. Incredible efforts from these #Zoos and #Aquariums include the Affordable Access Initiative, Community Access Programs, and working with Cris Access. ?? ?? “We know that #Diverse communities are stronger and more resilient both in nature and also in human society,” said Leah Van der Mei, the chief operating officer, and head of government affairs at the California Academy of Sciences. “It’s so important that people can see themselves in spaces like this―can see themselves in #Science, aquariums, and cultural institutions. If we don’t do this, I think we will fail.” ?? ?? Learn more about these specific programs in Connect: https://bit.ly/4gfL1gD. #Diversity #Inclusion #Retail #EventNetwork #CommunityEngagement #California #Washington #Connecticut

Congratulations Luna and Oliver! ?? Lincoln Park Zoo welcomed two African #Penguin chicks this summer. After a roughly 40-day incubation period, two healthy #Chicks hatched, and are being closely monitored by expert animal care and veterinary staff. Their sex has not yet been determined. Both eggs were laid by African penguin Luna with her partner Oliver as part of the African Penguin Species Survival Plan?. One egg was left with first-time parents Luna and Oliver to #Incubate, while the other was given to penguin pair TJ and Sunny to foster. This older parent pair have successfully raised numerous chicks. ?? “Having two healthy chicks has been really exciting and we’ve loved watching them grow so far,” said Nicole Finch-Mason, the Hope B. McCormick Curator of Birds. “We’re so proud of new parents Luna and Oliver for successfully incubating and rearing their chick, and equally appreciative of TJ and Sunny for sharing their penguin parent expertise.” ?? ?? The African penguin is an AZA SAFE priority #Species due to its decreasing #Population in the wild, which has gone from 141,000 breeding pairs in 1956 to less than 20,000 today. ?? Learn more about African penguins in Connect: https://bit.ly/4e8B4Qf. #SAFE #SSP #AnimalHealth #ZooBorn #AfricanPenguin #EndangeredSpecies #Illinois #Chicago

?? Last month, the Louisville Zoo celebrated the birth of its first giraffe calf in twelve years. The zoo’s last #Giraffe calf was Silvester in 2012. The newborn male Masai giraffe was born to parents Kianga and Baridi on August 9th. After a gestation period of 15 – 17 months, seven-year-old Kianga delivered the healthy calf, who weighed 160 pounds and stood at six feet and two inches tall at birth. This pregnancy was a planned part of AZA’s Species Survival Plan? for Masai giraffes, aimed at maintaining the genetic diversity of managed animal populations in human care. ?? Masai giraffe numbers have declined more than fifty percent in the last thirty years. Masai giraffes, native to #EastAfrica, are the largest subspecies of giraffe. ? They are distinguished by their irregular, star-shaped spots which are like a fingerprint and unique to each individual animal. The IUCN categorizes #Giraffes as a whole as vulnerable and Masai giraffes as an #EndangeredSpecies. Their largest threats in the wild are habitat loss and #Poaching. ?? Read more about the #ZooBaby in Connect and take a peek at the zoo's giraffe cam: https://bit.ly/4e8B4Qf. #MasaiGiraffes #ZooBorns #SSP #Zoo #Louisville #Kentucky