Animal Welfare
What is Animal Welfare?
Animal welfare refers to the well-being of an individual animal, shaped by its experiences within its environment. It encompasses how the animal perceives its life, including positive experiences specific to its species, such as vitality, affection, safety, and excitement, as well as negative experiences, such as pain, hunger, fear, boredom, loneliness, and frustration.
These experiences are influenced by various factors, including the animal’s diet, environment, physical health and fitness (including injury and disease), social environment (including interactions with humans), and its ability to fulfill species-specific behavioral needs. An animal’s welfare state can be impacted both positively and negatively by all aspects of its living conditions, with husbandry practices (i.e., animal care) being one key element. The ability to make species-specific choices and exercise individual control over its environment are crucial contributing factors to promoting positive animal welfare.
Animal Welfare at CAZA
CAZA is committed to ensuring that the highest standards of animal welfare are upheld by its accredited institutions.
The accreditation process serves as the cornerstone of animal welfare within CAZA, involving a comprehensive evaluation of each institution’s commitment to these standards. This process not only applies to CAZA-accredited institutions but also extends to zoos and aquariums working toward achieving these rigorous accreditation requirements.
Through a variety of courses, events, and publications, CAZA fosters the exchange of best practices and continuously updates its welfare standards to reflect the latest scientific advancements.
Guided by animal welfare science, which examines the impacts of nutrition, physical health, behavior, and environment on an animal’s overall well-being, CAZA’s animal management practices promote positive welfare outcomes across all accredited institutions.
CAZA Aligns with WAZA's Animal Welfare Goals
CAZA meets the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) Animal Welfare Goal, a global benchmark for animal welfare evaluation processes.
CAZA is proud to have successfully completed the review process mandated by WAZA through its Animal Welfare Goal. This initiative aims to establish a global standard for regional and national animal welfare evaluation processes.
The review of CAZA’s animal welfare evaluation procedures included a peer-review process and the involvement of experts from around the world. As a result, it has been confirmed that CAZA meets the necessary requirements to align with the WAZA Animal Welfare Goal.
The global standards set by WAZA provide a foundation for comprehensive animal welfare evaluation processes worldwide, incorporating key elements that positively impact the well-being of animals under human care.
