Extension of the WAZA 2023 Animal Welfare Goal
Since 2022, WAZA has undertaken the process of strategic planning to leverage the role of our global community as leaders in animal welfare and conservation. In the pursuit of achieving our new vision, the achievement of the WAZA 2023 Animal Welfare Goal (23AWG) is vital.
In 2023, six associations met the 23AWG. These associations are the Latin American Association of Zoos and Aquariums (ALPZA), the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), Canada’s Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA), the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA), the Pan African Association of Zoos and Aquaria (PAAZA) and the Zoo and Aquarium Association Australasia (ZAA).
Four Regional Associations, Associação de Zoológicos e a Aquários do Brasil (AZAB), the British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA) , the Southeast Asian Zoos and Aquariums Association and the Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums met the 23AWG in 2024.
The WAZA Council, in November 2024, endorsed and recommended the adoption of the following resolution, which amends the original statements for the WAZA 2023 Animal Welfare Goal to:
By November 2024, WAZA National and Regional Associations must have an animal welfare evaluation process in place and such a process must include specific elements approved by WAZA.
All WAZA institutional members must comply with the appropriate WAZA approved National and Regional Associations animal welfare evaluation process within 5 years (or less) of the process being approved. This is because under the framework of the WAZA Animal Welfare Goal, there is a requirement for the members of these Associations to undergo this process within a five-year (or less) cycle.
This decision acknowledges the significant progress already achieved towards this ambitious goal and considers various factors that may have influenced its implementation since the adoption of the Resolution in 2019, including the breakout of a global pandemic.
Please get in touch with Paula Cerdán, Head of Conservation and Animal Welfare at paula.cerdan@waza.org if you have any questions.
The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) is the global alliance of regional associations, national federations, zoos and aquariums, dedicated to the care and conservation of animals and their habitats around the world.
