Wild animals have been kept in human care for thousands of years and there is still a wide quality gap in overall standards throughout zoos and aquariums in Europe and Middle East. EAZA’s policy is not to ignore this; the association has created a Candidate for Membership category for zoos and aquariums aspiring to become EAZA Members, providing a framework through which they can be supported by the EAZA Technical Assistance Committee. The committee consists of experienced zoo staff working in EAZA Member institutions, with support and coordination provided by the EAZA Executive Office. It draws on a wide range of experts such as managers, veterinarians, curators and educators to cover all zoo-related fields.

Improving standards

EAZA is prepared to assist zoos that are committed to improving their standards of animal welfare and zoo management, and that are willing to become modern zoos adhering to the vision set out in the World Zoo and Aquarium Conservation Strategy. Our ultimate goal is to bring more zoos and aquariums into the EAZA network, but only if they can demonstrate a commitment to improving their standards in all areas.

The Technical Assistance Committee encourages sharing of knowledge between zoos and provides practical support and advice for improvements in areas such as animal welfare, enclosure design, visitor services, education, veterinary medicine and conservation. Applying political pressure on relevant political authorities to encourage change or to provide additional budget and support is another way in which the committee helps zoos.

Foundations and individuals who are interested in working to improve standards at progressive, but sub-standard zoos in the EAZA region may wish to consider providing financial support for the work of the EAZA Technical Assistance Committee. Please contact Joni Hut to discuss the possibilities.

Candidates for Membership

Assistance is provided to institutions located in the EAZA region that have been accepted into EAZA’s Candidate for Membership programme. The Technical Assistance Committee focuses on their standards of animal welfare and zoo management, encouraging the sharing of knowledge between zoos and providing practical support and advice for improvements. They also encourage the members of these institutions to participate in seminars and conferences and to run workshops within their region to improve their level of training, to facilitate the transmission of information and the sharing of advice and knowledge between experts and to improve networking between institutions. For more details about these workshops, please visit the workshop page.

The following institutions are enrolled as Candidates for Membership:

	Almaty Zoo Almaty, Kazakhstan		Negev Zoo Beer-Sheva, Israel
	Belgrade Zoo Belgrade, Serbia		Parc Animalier de Bouillon Bouillon, Belgium
	Zoo Brașov Brașov, Romania		Lithuanian Zoological Gardens (Kaunas Zoo) Kaunas, Lithuania
	Kharkov Zoo Kharkov, Ukraine		Kiev Zoo Kiev, Ukraine
	Krasnoyarsk Park of Flora and Fauna 'Roev Ruchey' Krasnoyarsk, Russia		Nikolaev Zoo Nikolaev, Ukraine
	Gan-Garoo Australian Park Nir-David, Israel		Novosibirsk Zoo Novosibirsk, Russia
	Osijek Zoo Osijek, Croatia		Palic Zoo Palić, Serbia
	Qalqilia Zoo Qalqilia, Palestine		Sarajevo Zoo Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
	Zoo Sibiu Sibiu, Romania		Skopje Zoo Skopje, Macedonia
	Sofia Zoo Sofia, Bulgaria		Leningrad Zoo St Petersburg, Russia
	Tbilisi Zoo Tbilisi, Georgia		Eram Zoo Tehran, Iran
	Tirgu-Mures Zoo Tîrgu-Mureș, Romania		Yerevan Zoo Yerevan, Armenia

For information on the EAZA Technical Assistance Committee or applying for the Candidate for Membership programme, please contact Joni Hut.