Why I Support AZA Accredited Zoos, Aviaries, & Aquariums

When I was growing up, the Denver Zoo became one of my favorite places to go. I was able to see all of the beautiful animals that I’d watch and learn about on the many wildlife documentaries I watched. It was a way to see them, and come to know them more on a personal level than just on the TV. It made them more real and less mystified, and the wonder that would come from seeing them in person made my passion for them grow immensely. There were so many different species from all over the world; I got to see Cheetahs prowling around, Maned Wolves lope across their habitat, Arctic Foxes do their “mousing” hops, and so much more. Many of my favorite memories were at the Denver Zoo.

As I grew older, I started to hear about all of the horrible things that happen at zoos behind-the-scenes. This was happening at an already traumatic and depressing time in my life which added to it. The more I looked into it the more I felt lied to, and it broke my heart. My whole world of everything I once knew, with zoos and my life before the trauma, came crashing down. My hatred for zoos grew so fast that it became painful. Every day I would think about becoming a vigilante and going and rescuing them. I didn’t want to believe that one of my favorite places was involved in the horrible places I’d read about and seen.

Then one day, when I was looking at a zoos instagram, it said in their bio that they are AZA Accredited. I thought, what does that mean? A little bit of hope bloomed in my chest, so I looked it up and read about what it meant to be AZA Accredited.

The Association of Zoos & Aquariums is a non profit organization dedicated to making sure zoos, aquariums, and facilities alike have proper living conditions for their animals to insure their wellbeing. In doing so, they are helping advance these facilities in the areas of education, conservation, and science.

The zoos and aquariums that are accredited by the AZA hold the highest standards for animal welfare, and they make a safe and educational family experience. A lot of the income from these places not only go to the animals they house but also to conservation and research programs.

There was finally light at the end of the tunnel, and relief swept over me. But fewer than 10% of the 2,800 nationally licensed facilities are accredited! The zoos not accredited are usually the ones that give all zoos a bad reputation. While this subject is relative on the situation, many believe that all animals shouldn't be in zoos no matter the circumstance. And in a perfect world they wouldn't be. In a perfect world, we would all be co-existing with the wildlife that we share the planet with (because we don’t own Earth), and there wouldn’t be any trophy hunting, poachers, killing contests, or any form of hostility towards animals in the name of “fun”.

These facilities offer a safe space for species to repopulate and live, without the worry of poachers or trophy hunters sneaking onto a reservoir, or wildlife refuge. Which unfortunately happens.

SAFE stands for "Saving Animals From Extinction". AZA accredited zoos work together to do exactly just that, save animals from extinction. They protect threatened animals and collaborate together towards genetically diverse breeding programs to help save the species and raise population numbers.

Take a Look at Their Annual Reports: Annual SAFE Reports

• African Elephants

• African Hornbill

• African Lion

• African Painted Dog

• African Penguin

• African Vulture

• American Red Wolf

• American Turtle

• Andean Bear

• Andean Highland Flamingo

• Asian Elephant

• Asian Hornbill

• Attwater’s Prairie Chicken

• Black Rhino

• Black-Footed Ferret

• Bonobo

• Chimpanzee

• Chinchilla

• Cheetah

• Coral

• Colobus Monkey

• Cuban Crocodile

• Eastern Indigo Snake

• Gibbon

• Giraffe

• Eastern Massasauga Rattlesnake

• Jaguar

• Gorilla

• Maned Wolf

• Mexican Wolf

• North American Bison

• North American Freshwater Mussel

• North American Monarch Butterfly

• Ocelot

• Perdido Key Beach Mouse

• Orangutan

• Prairie Butterfly

• North American Songbird

• Red Panda

• Radiated Tortoise

• Red Siskin

• Sea Turtle

• Sloth Bear

• Snow Leopard

• Sunflower Sea Star

• Vaquita

• Thick-Billed Parrot

• Tree Kangaroo

• Whooping Crane

• Western Pond Turtle

• Wyoming Toad

• Black Footed Ferrets

• California Condors

• North American Freshwater Mussels

• American Red Wolves

• Attwater’s Prairie Chicken

• Wyoming Toads

Read More Statistics Here: Interesting Zoo & Aquarium Statistics

In 2023, the Denver Zoo announced that they are going to expand to a second location in Weld County that is 600 acres! They have been apart of the Species Survival Plan (SSP) for several years, but have historically had a lack of space until now. With this new space, they will be able to expand their breeding program, and grow the species' families, as well as work up to focusing on reintroducing endangered species native to Colorado, as well as reintroducing species back into the wild outside of Colorado!

Accredited Members

Every time you go to one of these zoos, aviaries, or aquariums, you are helping support their conservation efforts in not only saving species but also their re-introduction programs. While it would be nice to live in a world of peaceful coexistence, our current reality needs AZA accredited facilities in order to help save the species we love to see. These facilities work hand in hand with conservation groups in order to make more of an impact and educate people on each species that needs our help.