The Zoological Association of America (ZAA) recently concluded their mid year meeting in Las Vegas Nevada. Project Green Jungle has been developing conservation activities which integrate zoo managers, employees, and visitors in the very conservation projects the zoo supports and funds.

We are pleased to announce that the partnership between the project and The ZAA has taken a big step in the realization of our common goals and visions.

For those of you not familiar with the organization, they have a simple straight on approach with their mission:

“Our Mission is to promote the responsible ownership, management, and propagation of animals in both private and public domains.”

This is the organization that invited us to speak at their November, 2009 conference in Kansas. At that conference we got a really good feel about the organization. To be honest, ours wasn’t as defined as we had hoped it would be at that point, but we knew that it had to have the support and participation of an organization like the ZAA.

THE ZAA’S STATEMENT OF OBJECTIVES:

• Establish professional standards for husbandry and animal care practices.
• Maintain accurate animal and medical records.
• Enhance the survival of species by the use of appropriate methods.
• Maintain an appropriate, safe, and quality existence for animals in captive environments.
• Establish safety measures for staff, visitors and animals to prevent injury and disease.

In addition, ZAA members are ethically bound to support and implement the Mission and Objectives of ZAA as outlined in the Mission and Objective Statements, and in general to:

• Promote the interest of wildlife conservation and biodiversity to society at large.
• Promote and encourage research and scientific method application toward the betterment of wildlife populations – their husbandry, care and conservation – both in managed environments and wild ecosystems.
• Cooperate with colleagues and the broader conservation community including private and public entities, breeders, zoological parks, game parks and ranches, sanctuaries, aquariums, museums, wildlife agencies and associated management programs, academic and field researchers and others in an effort to assist in global biodiversity in both managed and wild animal populations.
• Promote and encourage sustainability of animal populations by sound economic practices and “conservation through commerce” in order to practically and realistically help insure long-term viability of wildlife populations through sensible and comprehensive sustainable yield and renewable resource management practices.
• Fairly recognize all colleagues and stakeholders engaged in validly-based resource management and accommodate implementation of the many and various, legitimate and proven methods for sustainable yield wildlife and habitat management.
• Fairly recognize and accept responsibilities for implementation of scientifically based decisions, actions and methods in species management practices as having priority over the possibilities of emotion-based-only choices.
• Act in accordance with all local, national and international laws in all endeavors and especially as it pertains to the health and well-being of wildlife populations and conservation of natural resources.
• Conduct all affairs with a high degree of professionalism and with honesty, integrity and fairness to all concerned.

Read more Here.

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