Utica Zoo accreditation: How it helps Tate, Yoda, Snowflake, other zoo residents

Sometimes Tate, the Pallas’s cat, gets grumpy sometimes, perhaps from his duties of PreZOOdent of the Utica Zoo, an office to which the public elected him in February.

When other presidents get grumpy, they can retreat to the golf course, Camp David or the Rose Garden. But Tate lives in an enclosure that lets the public watch him for six-and-a-half hours a day every day of the week, which is not a good cure for grumpiness.

So the Utica Zoo lets him enter the indoor, out-of-sight portion of his habitat for a break whenever he wants. Those breaks might disappoint visitors, but they’re good for Tate, zoo officials said.

“Our challenge is now to retrain and learn how he might be just as comfortable outside for maximum visitor experience,” said Andria Heath, the zoo’s executive director.

Giving the animals in the zoo’s care choice and control is one of the standards the Utica Zoo upholds as an accredited member of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, Heath said.

The zoo just received accreditation from the AZA for the second time; it was originally accredited in 2018.

Only 235 zoos and aquariums around the world have received AZA accreditation.

About accreditation

"Only the very best zoos and aquariums can meet AZA's accreditation standards for animal care and conservation, which are universally acknowledged as the 'gold-standard' within the zoological profession," said AZA President and CEO Dan Ashe, in a statement. "By achieving accreditation, the Utica Zoo demonstrates a commitment to protecting animals around the world and inspiring their guests to do the same."

Accreditation involves a detailed application followed by an inspection by a team of professionals from zoos and aquariums across the country. The AZA wants to make sure that a zoo meets its high standards in a number of areas, including animal care and welfare, veterinary programs, conservation, education, safety and financial stability.

After the inspection, the AZA’s Accreditation Commission holds a formal hearing, with participation from zoo officials, and decides whether to grant, table or reject accreditation. That hearing took place on Sept. 14 at the AZA’s annual conference in Calgary.

"We are honored to be recognized once again for our dedication to animal welfare, conservation, and education," said Heath, in a statement. "This achievement reflects the hard work and passion of our entire team and our commitment to providing the best possible experience for both our animals and our guests. We are especially grateful to the 247 community and corporate volunteers who physically assisted us this Spring to prepare for our peak season and the AZA inspection."

About 200 animals live at the Utica Zoo, some, like red pandas and mountain zebras, from the other side of the world, and some, like beavers and barn owls, practically from the zoo’s backyard.

They are visited by about 80,000 humans each year.

More protection

The accreditation also guarantees the community that all the animals in the Utica Zoo are being procured, bred and, when necessary, re-homed in a way that protects the species, said Allison Snyder, director of communications and engagement.

The zoo keeps detailed records of every animal from birth to death. That way, for example, the AZA can make sure that zoos never take animals illegally from the wild or get them from traders who do.

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The World Wildlife Fund calls the illegal pet trade the largest threat faced by many of the most threatened species and second overall threat to species survival after habitat destruction.

The AZA checks zoo records to make sure, for example, Yoda, Snowflake and their baby Dooku —white-handed gibbons, an endangered species particularly threatened by the illegal pet trade — have been acquired and handled according to the best conservation practices.

Mexican spider monkeys Manuel and Negra, who are about 28 years old, know firsthand about the brutality of poachers who steal babies from the wild, Snyder said. Border patrol agents in Texas confiscated them from illegal pet traders; they were later sent to the zoo for safety and proper care, she said.

Zoo strengths

Here are some particular strengths of the Utica Zoo noted in the inspection team’s report:

• “A proactive approach to assessing welfare is demonstrated through Quality of Life assessments started when an animal is near median age expectancy to measure animals’ benchmark welfare, before age-related health declines start.”
• “The Utica Zoo is recognized as a core community asset by the City of Utica and surrounding communities. This is evidenced in the extremely strong community support.”
• “The Utica Zoo Board of Directors is an incredibly engaged and supportive board. Their work to provide appropriate oversight and efforts to raise money to support the Zoo is commendable.”
• “The Education Department is extremely impressive in the number of programs offered, the aspirational vision for the department, and the enthusiasm by the staff.”
• “The staff culture is supportive and extremely positive at all levels of the zoo.”
• “The value of AZA accreditation is well known throughout the community and there is great pride in being an AZA member.”

This article originally appeared on Observer-Dispatch: Utica Zoo accreditation: How it helps Tate, Yoda, Snowflake, other zoo residents