The Lincoln Children’s Zoo joins a distinguished group of national zoos and aquariums earning 25 years of continuous accreditation with the Association of Zoos & Aquariums.
To put it in perspective, of the 2,600 licensed zoos and aquariums in the United State, 214 are accredited members of the AZA. And of those, 60 are installed in the AZA’s Quarter Century tier, said Kris Vehrs, AZA interim president and executive director, who was in Lincoln this week to present the zoo with its quarter century accreditation honors.
Accreditation standards are rigorous, and climbing even higher as the AZA works toward animal conservation, animal welfare and education and ensuring that accredited facilities are not only structurally sound, but fiscally solid as well, she said.
Photos: 50 years of the Lincoln Children's Zoo
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary -old pic
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Lincoln Children's Zoo 50th Anniversary
Penguins
Crocodile Country
Zoo Camp Feature
John Chapo visits with guests, band plays in background
Children's Zoo Turn 50
Earth Wellness Festival
zoo timeline butterfly pavilion
Leo the paper-eating lion
Critter Keepers
Red Panda
Boo at the Zoo
Red Panda Cubs, 09/04/2014
Breakfast with the Penguins
Wallaby joey
140505_Herps_Tiger_Beetle_107232
Rock with the Crocs, 06/30/2013
What's new at the zoo -- new murals in Animal Kingdom Building
Zoofari with Larry the Cable Guy
Folsom Children's Zoo Lions in Winter
ROBERT BECKER/Lincoln Journal Star
Camel rides at Lincoln Children's Zoo
Lincoln Children's Zoo
Lincoln Children's Zoo
Reindeer
Chapo Boo at the Zoo 2
Marmoset
Zoo goat
Children's Zoo Turn 50
Penguins (copy)
Boo at the Zoo
“By achieving AZA-accreditation, the Lincoln Children’s Zoo demonstrated that it is dedicated to protecting species and educating its visitors about the natural world,†Vehrs said.
Accreditation is for five years, but accredited facilities are monitored annually to ensure standards continue to be met.
And accreditation requirements are the same -- whether it’s a giant facility like New York’s Bronx Zoo, California’s San Diego Zoo or Lincoln’s 8.7-acre children’s zoo, Vehrs said.
For Lincoln Children’s Zoo Executive Director John Chapo, AZA accreditation has been his focus since he took the helm in 1986. It earned it five years later.
“I wanted the zoo to be the best it could be, and be certified that it is the best it can be by a third party,†Chapo said. “It took me a couple of years.â€
Attitudes were different back then.
“Animals were a commodity to be consumed, not to be conserved,†Chapo said. “There was a whole different mentality and a whole different method of management.â€
He recalled how in 1986 the zoo had running water in just one location and was carried by buckets to the animals. And how the zoo, which was not designed to care for animals year-round, “stacked cages upon cages†in whatever building space was available.
He remembers walking into the men’s restroom in the Animal Kingdom building. A sign on the door said: Arnie the Aardvark lives here.
“I laughed and thought, oh that zookeeper humor,†Chapo recalled. “But when I opened the door I encountered the butt-end of an aardvark sleeping on the floor. There were alligators loose in the hallways of the Animal Kingdom building, and monkeys in the ladies restroom.â€
It’s a whole new world these days -- standards are strict and continue to be enhanced as more is learned about the science-verified needs for animal welfare, husbandry and conservation.
Prior to receiving re-accreditation, a three-person AZA review team (a veterinarian, husbandry/operations expert and generalist) spent three days at the children’s zoo poring over documents, assessing animal care, inspecting the facilities and talking with staff and visitors.
The inspecting team observes all aspects of the institution’s operation -- animal care and welfare, zookeeper training, safety for visitors, staff and animals, educational programs, conservation efforts, veterinary programs, financial stability, risk management, visitor services and other areas, Vehrs said.
Then in August, Chapo and his team appeared before a formal hearing by the AZA’s Independent Accreditation Commission. After that, the commission voted to accredit, table or deny.
“It’s hard,†Vehrs said of the accreditation process. “We deny, on average, two or three institutions a year. And we will table an accreditation if they are not meeting our standards, but we think they can meet them in one year’s time. On average, we table seven to 10 institutions a year.â€
It’s also not unheard of for the AZA to step in if standards are not being met and pull an accreditation, she said.
Accreditation is required for AZA membership.
“We have the highest most comprehensive standards in the world,†Vehrs said, which is why nine countries outside of the U.S. also seek AZA accreditation.
The report on the Lincoln Children’s Zoo “was very strong,†Vehrs said.
Among the accomplishments noted:
* Conservation efforts. “They are walking the talk,†Vehrs said. “The overriding purpose help them help us safe wildlife and environment. If they are not walking that talk, they are not credible.â€
* Ongoing program to save the Salt Creek Tiger Beetle from extinction. The zoo's "re-introduction program" has returned hundreds of beetles back into the wild.
* Zoo School, a partnership between Lincoln Public Schools and the zoo. Lincoln was the first AZA zoo to have this joint community program, Vehrs said.
* Economic impact in the community -- the Lincoln Children’s Zoo puts about $9 million into the local economy.
“This is not a slam dunk,†Vehrs said of AZA accreditation. “It is a big deal. And it’s a bigger deal to have 25 years of accreditation.â€