News
9 June 2009
New EAZA Strategy published
Following its approval at last month's Council meeting, the new EAZA Strategy 2009-2012 is published today. The strategy, which represents the culmination of a process that began in May 2007 at the Kristiansand Future Search Workshop, is accompanied by a detailed Action Plan establishing a series of targets to be met.The document is available to EAZA members only at this time - to download it members should first login to the Member Area using the link in the lefthand menu. The document can then be found under Committees, Council and Documents. A one-page Executive Summary is also available.
8 June 2009
New report on Gorilla Conservation
EAZA today issued a joint press release along with WAZA (World Association of Zoos and Aquariums) marking the release of a new report on Gorilla Conservation. The report coincides with the International Gorilla Symposium taking place this week in Frankfurt.Download the full press release below:
Gorilla Conservation Press Release
4 May 2009
European Elephant Management School
This year the course of the First European Elephant Managment School will be held in Hamburg on 9 - 17 November 2009.
More information about this event can be found on www.elephant-management.com.
28 April 2009
Pre-announcement Polar bear Symposium in Ouwehand Zoo, Rhenen
On behalf of the Polar bear EEP and the EAZA Bear TAG we hereby announce a one-day Polar bear symposium, which will be held on 5 July 2009 in Ouwehand Zoo, Rhenen, the Netherlands.By means of presentations and workshops the role of the polar bear in the 21-st Century will be highlighted. It is discussed how in situ and ex situ conservation can be linked and people from different areas of work and interest will contribute on the following topics; field research, climatology, zoo biology and conservation.
The organisation is very happy to announce that prof. dr. Andrew Derocher, of the Department of Biological Sciences University of Alberta and also chairman of the IUCN SSC Polar Bear Specialist Group, is prepared to give an overview of the polar bear situation in the wild, the threats and an update on the current situation.
A draft programme, registration form and further information can be sent on your request. Please contact José Kok at jose.kok@ouwehand.nl.
31 March 2009
Marketing Conference Cancelled
Due to the fact that at present day only 39 registrations were received, the Marketing Conference of 16 - 21 June 2009 is cancelled. Unfortunately the lack of registrations make it financially unviable for the hosts to hold the conference.13 March 2009
Spring Council and General Meeting
This year the Spring Council and General Meeting will be held at Dvur Kralove from the 15-17th May. Attendance at the General Meeting is limited to 100 participants so please register as soon as possible. The invitation letter, programme and registration form can be found here:- Invitation
- Programme
- Registration Form
4 March 2009
7th International Conference on Behaviour, Physiology and Genetics of Wildlife
The 7th International Conference on Behaviour, Physiology and Genetics of Wildlife will be held on 21-24 September 2009 in Berlin.All personnel concerned with science & research in zoos (both in- and ex-situ), as well as your research partners in universities and research institutes will be interested in attending this excellent meeting, featuring topics of relevance and application to evidence-based captive animal management and in situ species conservation.
The programme includes an impressive list of plenary speakers on Behavioural Ecology, Stress & Disturbance, Reproduction Biology, Conservation Genetics and Conservation Biology, plus workshops on Evolutionary Genomics, Communication in Mammals and Birds, Welfare & Conservation, Stable Isotopes, Nutrition & Energetics and Behavioural Rhythms. There is also an EAZA-led session on "Research by, in, with and for zoos, aquaria and other ex-situ institutions".
This is an opportunity to showcase high quality research conducted by EAZA members and meet potential scientific partners. It is also excellent value for money, with full registration before 1st June just €120 (€60 for students). The EAZA Research Committee strongly encourages members to attend and submit examples of research by, in, with and for zoos, aquaria and other ex-situ institutions. The abstract submission deadline is also 1st June 2009.
For details of the scientific programme, workshops, accommodation, and abstract submissions, please click here or sent an email to symposium@izw-berlin.de.
3 March 2009
EAZA Marketing Conference
The EAZA Marketing Conference to be held in Odense 16-20th June, with the theme of 'Working with friends and partners'. This conference, jointly organised by the Odense Zoo and Givskud Zoo, will bring together zoo and aquarium marketing professionals from all over Europe and beyond to discuss the future of marketing for our community.Please see the conference website www.eazamarketing2009.com for more details and note that early-bird registrations end on 1st April 2009.
We hope to see as many as possible of you in Odense!
2 December 2008
EAZA Executive Office is looking for a new colleague
The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria is the largest professional zoo and aquarium membership association in the world, with 319 members in 35 countries. Visited by 140 million people a year, EAZA member institutions recognise the importance of excellent communication to fulfill their missions and EAZA as an organisation recognises that good communication, with the membership, general public, non-zoo conservation NGO's, governments and other interested parties, is an essential component of our work.To meet this need EAZA is seeking to employ a talented individual in the role of Communication and Membership Manager. For more information on this full-time post (37.5 hours/week) based at the EAZA Executive Office in Amsterdam, please click here or go to the Vacancies section of this website.
18 November 2008
EAZA Zoo Educators Conference - register now!
The next EAZA Zoo Educators (EZE) Conference will kindly be hosted by Cologne Zoo, Germany, from 25 February to 1 March 2009.
Click here for information on the conference, including an invitation, registration form and programme. Registration before 1 December 2008 vouches for a special price for accommodation.
15 October 2008
Special EAZA News issue published
We are proud to present EAZA News 64, which is a special issue on collection planning.After twenty years we are well aware of the importance of collection planning. But are we really? While individualism is the trend in society, the need for zoos and aquariums to cooperate to safeguard the future of their animal collections is as evident as it was in the mid 1980s. Many collection planning topics are presented in this special EAZA News issue, all written from different angles.
The magazine has been sent to the entire EAZA membership this week.
Read the headlines of EAZA News 64, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute.
29 September 2008
EAZA European Carnivore Campaign launched
When we, Europeans, think about nature conservation, we tend to think in terms of exotic species in faraway places. We often forget that here, in our own continent, we still have beautiful landscapes, complex habitats and a diverse fauna, which also need help.
As carnivores more and more move into 'our' space, they become competitors for 'our' resources and living space. As a result, we no longer seem to respect them and see them as pests which damage our profit margins or safety. We should however be aware that they are objects of beauty and wonder and, as carnivores are usually so easily recognizable by the general public (e.g. wolf, bear, lynx), that they make excellent flag ship species that can be used to raise awareness of conservation needs.
The EAZA European Carnivore Campaign 2008/9 has been launched on 17 September 2008 with the aim to raise awareness for nature in Europe in general and large carnivores in particular.
Read more on the special campaign website
Photo: Programa de Conservación Ex-situ del Lince Ibérico
18 September 2008
EAZA Annual Conference 2008
About 630 people from the 'zoo world' are gathering in Antwerp (Belgium) this week, to participate in the EAZA Annual Conference (16 - 20 September). The conference started on Tuesday evening with an ice-breaker, but was officially opened with a welcome session yesterday morning. There are many interesting sessions and meetings during the conference and special focus is on the impact of climate change on biodiversity and the role of zoos and aquariums mitigating these. All EAZA institutions will be asked to sign the Countdown 2010 Declaration. Countdown 2010 is a powerful network of active partners working together towards the 2010 biodiversity target. With millions of visitors per year zoos and aquariums play an important role, as they are the perfect channel to raise awareness for nature conservation.
Other special sessions during the conference focus on collection planning and conservation education. As soon as the conference has finished, a review of the entire conference will follow shortly.
7 August 2008
New EAZA Executive Director
As of 1 August, Dr. Lesley Dickie has taken up her post as the new EAZA Executive Director. The EAZA Executive Committee and staff at the Executive Office are looking much forward to working together with Lesley on further improving and strengthening EAZA's roles as a leading regional zoo association and providing services to its membership.
An interview with the new director will appear in the next issue of EAZA News (#64) and of course you will all have the chance to meet Lesley at the upcoming EAZA Annual Conference in Antwerp, Belgium.
31 July 2008
Several EAZA publications published
This week a number of publications has been sent to the EAZA membership, together with EAZA News 63:
(Hardcopy and CD-ROM)
Lisbon 2008 - DVD
Order forms for most of these publications can be downloaded from the website Shop section.
For information on EAZA News 63,
please click here
9 May 2008
EAZA News 62 has been published
We are proud to present EAZA News 62. The magazine has been sent to the entire EAZA membership this week, together with a copy of the newly published EAZA Research Strategy (see news item below).Read the headlines of EAZA News 62, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute.
14 April 2008
EAZA Research Strategy published!
The EAZA Research Strategy has been published and will be distributed to the EAZA membership and EAZA relations shortly.The purpose of the EAZA Research Strategy is to help to further develop appropriate and excellent research and training within the European zoo and aquarium community and among its many partners. This is the first such Strategy to be published and it aims to galvanise collaboration, planning and activity in zoos and aquariums and seeks to engage other like-minded stakeholders such as national and local governments, development agencies, universities, botanical gardens, gene-banks, wildlife organisations and partners in the habitat countries.
Click here to go to the Strategy
7 February 2008
EAZA News 61 has been published
We are proud to present EAZA News 61.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute.
31 January 2008 EAZA Annual Conference 2008
On behalf of Rudy Van Eysendeyk, director of Antwerp Zoo, EAZA invites all its members to the 25th EAZA Annual Conference hosted by Antwerp Zoo, Belgium from 16 to 20 September 2008.The conference will take place at the Flanders Congress & Concert Centre in the heart of Antwerp, conveniently located in the Zoo and next to Antwerp Central Station.
For more information on the conference, please click here
9 January 2008
Council Regulation 1266/2007
The EAZA Transport Working Group aims to bring to your attention the Council Regulation (EC) No 1266/2007 of 26 October 2007 'on implementing rules for Council Directive 2000/75/EC as regards the control, monitoring, surveillance and restrictions on movements of certain animals of susceptible species in relation to blue tongue'.Council Regulation 1266/2007 came into force in November 2007 and allows ruminants to be transported from blue tongue restricted zones, as well as through restricted zones, provided that a certain set of conditions are met (please refer to Article 8 and Annex III of the Council Regulation). As all conditions require a seasonally vector-free period the EAZA Transport Working Group advises to plan ruminant transports as soon as possible.
The full text of the Council Regulation is available from the EurLex website in all languages of the Member States. For further information on the implementation of the Council Regulation in your region please contact your local Authority.
18 December 2007
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12 November 2007 EAZA News 60 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 60, a special on aquariums and aquatic exhibits.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. | ||||
20 September 2007 Now online: the EAZA Conservation Database
The EAZA in situ Conservation Database has been developed in order to further increase the number of conservation projects run and supported by EAZA members. As of today the database, which includes 426 in situ conservation projects from EAZA members in 22 European countries, can be used and updated online.
For more information, please click here
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13 September 2007 News from Warsaw Well over 550 participants were welcomed by the director of Warsaw Zoo, Jan Maciej Rembiszewski, the Warsaw Minister of Natural Environment and EAZA chairman Bert de Boer. Harry Schram (EAZA executive director) and Bengt Holst (chair EEP Committee) provided updates on recent developments within EAZA. The keynote speech on the amphibian crisis was provided by Don Church of the Conservation International and IUCN/SSC Amphibian Specialist Group.  The second plenary on Wednesday focused on the EAZA Conservation Campaigns. Lesley Dickie (ZSL) officially closed the 2006/7 Madagascar Campaign, after having provided an update on the campaign activities. She handed out special awards to several EAZA member institutions in recognition of their exceptional campaign efforts, and concluded with announcing the preliminary fundraising result; an amazing €450,635.81!The next campaign - the EAZA Amphibian Campaign 2007/8 - was launched, and it was stressed that every EAZA member institution should join. Furthermore a partnership between EAZA and Countdown 2010 was signed. Countdown 2010 is a network of active partners working together towards the 2010 biodiversity target (see www.countdown2010.net). | ||||
26 July 2007  EAZA publications readyWe are proud to present the EAZA Yearbook 2005, the EAZA Membership Directory 2007 and EAZA News 59. These publications will be sent to the EAZA membership within the next few days.Read the headlines of EAZA News 59, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. | ||||
 29 May 2007
EAZA News 58 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 58.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. 
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25 April 2007Out of the office...Due to an external staff event, the EAZA Executive Office will not be staffedfrom 27 to 30 April 2007. Apologies for any inconvenience. For urgent matters, please call +31 646392895. | ||||
28 February 2007A fruitful year for husbandry guidelines!During 2006 several extensive husbandry manuals have been produced by EAZA members through our collective managed breeding programmes and/or our Taxon Advisory Groups (TAGs).
Amongst others, husbandry guidelines for Lowland gorilla (Gorilla gorilla gorilla), giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis sspp.), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), black-capped squirrel monkey (Saimiri boliviensis), Mexican beaded lizard (Heloderma horridum) and Gila monster (Heloderma suspectum) were published.
A complete overview of publications of interest that were received at the EAZA Executive Office is available on the 'Publications' section of the EAZA website. EAZA members can download husbandry guidelines or contact details for purchasing a copy from the 'Husbandry guidelines' section on the member area of the EAZA website. Photo: Maarten van der Voorde/Apenheul Primate Park | ||||
27 February 2007
EAZA News 57 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 57.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. Non-EAZA members can also subscribe to EAZA News. Click here for more information
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16 February 2007
E-mail problems and relocation of EAZA Executive Office The EAZA Executive Office will move to a new office building within the Amsterdam Zoo next week. As a result of this move, the EAZA Executive Office will be unable to send and receive e-mail between Monday 19 and Friday 23 February. Therefore, please postpone sending your messages and/or re-send your messages after 23 February. The EAZA Executive Office has also experienced e-mail problems between Monday 13 and Friday 16 February. During the move next week, the EAZA Executive Office can be reached by telephone at +31 205200750 for urgent matters. The EAZA Executive Office staff members will again be at your service from their new offices as of Monday 26 February. Apologies for any inconvenience. | ||||
22 December 2006
EAZA wishes all its members a | ||||
23 November 2006
EAZA News 56 has been published
We are proud to present EAZA News 56, a special issue on sustainability.
This special shows us that many EAZA member institutions are already heavily involved in sustainability projects and policies. Sustainability will be featured as a special section in future issues of EAZA News. Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. Non-EAZA members can also subscribe to EAZA News. Click here for more information
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13 October 2006 EAZA Annual Conference 2006The 23rd EAZA Annual Conference (3-7 October 2006) has again been quite a success. Well over 500 people participated the conference, which started on Tuesday 3 October 2006, with an ice-breaker in the evening. Both the EAZA TAG Chairs and the EEP Coordinators had already met prior to this. Throughout the conference, several interesting presentations were provided during parallel sessions, as well as via posters, which were presented in the lobby of the conference centre.
Plenary sessions during this conference dealt with 'Sustainability' and the 'Global Amphibian Extinction Crisis', and, as usual, the conference programme included a session on the EAZA Conservation Campaigns; the EAZA Rhino Campaign was officially closed, with an impressive fundraising result of €515,842.81 and the EAZA Madagascar Campaign 2006/7 was launched.
 A much-needed break in the full conference programme was offered Thursday evening, when all participants were taken to Madrid Zoo Aquarium. After the EAZA AGM on Saturday 7 October, seven EAZA Awards were handed out during the closing session of the conference. This was followed by a farewell dinner in the evening, which was kindly offered byZoo Aquarium Madrid. Click here to read the conference review
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24 July 2006
EAZA News 55 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 55.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. Non-EAZA members can also subscribe to EAZA News. Click here for more information
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21 July 2006
Committee on Technical Assistance and Animal Welfare proudly presents its brochure
The EAZA Committee on Technical Assistance and Animal Welfare proudly presents a brochure reflecting the many activities and achievements of this committee, which can be used as a promotional tool in future activities as well.
Over the past six months several committee members together with EAZA's Executive Office have been working to present the work and achievements of the Committee in this colourful brochure. A copy of the brochure was sent to all EAZA members together with EAZA News 55. Further copies will be used to present the committee's work to national and international authorities, governments and contacts in the regions where the committee is active. Click here to read the TA&AW brochureMore information about the TA&AW CommitteeIn addition to this brochure, additional information on the TA&AW Committee has been published on the open area of the EAZA website. Please click here to visit the TA&AW section on the EAZA website | ||||
12 May 2006 Harry Schram appointed as the new EAZA Executive DirectorPhoto: Paul Brams
The EAZA Executive Committee has found a suitable candidate, Harry Schram, to succeed Koen Brouwer as EAZA's Executive Director. As announced to the EAZA membership on 5 January 2006, Koen Brouwer will be leaving his position as EAZA Executive Director on 1 July 2006, to start as the General Director of the Bioparc in Valencia, Spain, on 1 October 2006.EAZA's new Executive Director, Mr. Harry Schram (45, Belgium) comes from outside the immediate EAZA circles, but nevertheless, has been an extreme zoo enthusiast and advocate since his early youth. Meanwhile, he has visited and seen over 80% of all EAZA institutions and built up an enormous knowledge of the European zoo community, whilst gaining a very good insight in this community's aims, objectives, problems and concerns. In addition, Harry Schram is a communicator and educator by profession, an experienced politician and a strong propagator of conservation and environmental protection. The EAZA Executive Committee and the EAZA Council are confident that Harry Schram will prove to be a good leader of the EAZA Executive Office team, and that together with this team he will enthusiastically serve EAZA and represent the interests of the European zoo community. Click here for the biography of Harry Schram | ||||
25 April 2006
EAZA News 54 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 54.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. Non-EAZA members can also subscribe to EAZA News. Click here for more information
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© Zurich Zoo
7 April 2006
Call for Madagascar Campaign project proposalsMadagascar, the fourth largest island in the world and biodiversity 'hotspot' has been chosen as the subject of the next EAZA Conservation Campaign, which begins in October 2006 and runs until September 2007.One of the main aims of the 2006/7 EAZA Conservation Campaign will be to raise money for identified, priority conservation projects for Malagasy flora and fauna. The EAZA Madagascar Campaign Planning Group wishes to offer all participating EAZA institutions the opportunity to propose conservation projects for inclusion in the campaign. An application form for proposals was sent to all EAZA members, TAG chairs, EEP coordinators and ESB keepers on 5 April 2006, and can be downloaded here (pdf format). The closing deadline for all applications is on 15 May 2006. |
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15 March 2006 Shellshock supports leatherback turtle research
Please click here to see an MTRG press release about the LOW project of 7 March 2006.Click here for more information about the Shellshock Campaign |
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1 March 2006
Vaccination of zoo birds against avian influenzaIn view of the presence of avian influenza (H5N1) in Asia, Africa and increasingly in Europe, EAZA strongly encourages its bird keeping members to consider applying for permission to be able to vaccinate their zoo birds at risk, especially in those countries where an outbreak of AI has occurred or might be expected when migrating birds return or pass through from infected areas.Vaccination of zoo birds has taken place in the Netherlands, Switzerland, Portugal and Belgium. Preparations to vaccinate are on-going in France, Spain, Sweden, Denmark, Hungary and United Kingdom. | ||||
2 February 2006
Ten simple things...
that will improve our EEPs considerably
The European Endangered species Programmes (EEPs) are a very important flagship of EAZA. The better they work the stronger we all are. With many different programmes and several hundreds of participants from countries across Europe, having different languages and cultures, it is impossible to completely avoid problems and sometimes even conflicts. However, we can all do our part to facilitate the process and thus to make the EEPs even more efficient and effective than they are now. A folded card has been produced, outlining 'ten simple things' we all can do to make the EEP life easier. This card has been sent to all EAZA member institutions together with EAZA News 53. Additionally, a pdf version can be downloaded here. | ||||
26 January 2006
Expansion of EAZA coloured leg band service
An evaluation of the EAZA coloured leg band service in 2004 revealed that the service is highly appreciated by the EAZA members. Furthermore it appeared that many users would be interested in a possible expansion of the service with leg bands for vultures and leg bands in other colours. These issues have been discussed with the relevant TAGs and the vulture EEP coordinators and ESB keepers.
As a result, a pilot project with leg bands of 30 mm in diameter and 20 mm in height (30 - 20 mm) was started in January 2006. These bands have two horizontal digits, and can be used for individual identification of Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) and similar-sized Gyps species. The 30 – 20 mm bands are also suited for other vulture species such as Eurasian black vulture (Aegypius monachus) and bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus).
Additionally, white and yellow bands (both with black engraving) will be provided in addition to the already available green, blue and red bands (all with white engraving). In first instance, these new colour combinations will only be available for the most popular leg band sizes (i.e. 14 - 18 mm, 19 – 37 mm and 39/22 –40 mm). For more information, please visit the ‘Service' section in the member area.
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26 January 2006
EAZA News 53 has been publishedWe are proud to present EAZA News 53.Read the headlines of this edition, or read some general information on the contents of EAZA News, how to subscribe and how to contribute. Non-EAZA members can also subscribe to EAZA News. Click here for more information
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5 January 2006
Koen Brouwer is resigning from his position of EAZA
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23 December 2005
North American zoos participate in Save the Rhinos
Zoos in North America will soon have the opportunity to participate in a Save the Rhinos Campaign that was catalyzed by and complements the EAZA Save the Rhinos Campaign in Europe. The North American campaign will be managed by the International Rhino Foundation (IRF) in partnership with the Rhino Advisory Group/Species Survival Plans of the American Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZA RAG/SSP) and Ecko Unlimited.
The North American campaign is focused on three critically endangered species of rhino with the goal of reinforcing protection measures and expanding rhino populations and ranges. The fundraising goal is US$850,000 (€744,830) to supplement the US$1,150,000 (€1,007,710) in funds already pledged to IRF programmes. The campaign launches publicly in January 2006. Click here for more information
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Much to our regret we have to announce that Koen Brouwer will resign from his position of EAZA Executive Director, having accepted the general directorship of the new Bioparc in Valencia. He will leave the EAZA Executive Office in Amsterdam by July 2006. This is a great loss for EAZA, as Koen has fulfilled his position for over ten years with great skill and expertise as well as with enormous personal effort.