Zoo accreditation standards are the primary mechanism for ensuring animal welfare across the sector. Understanding what these standards require and where gaps remain guides advocacy.
Zoo accreditation is the most important structural mechanism for ensuring welfare standards across the zoo sector, but it operates with significant gaps. Accreditation is voluntary in most jurisdictions, outcome-based assessment is underdeveloped relative to input standards, and enforcement of standards across geographically distributed international membership organisations is challenging. Supporting stronger accreditation requirements, outcome-based welfare assessment, and public transparency of accreditation records advances welfare across the sector. The consumer choice to visit only accredited institutions creates market pressure for standards compliance.