{"id":64300,"date":"2015-10-27T09:00:26","date_gmt":"2015-10-27T13:00:26","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=64300"},"modified":"2015-10-26T17:04:52","modified_gmt":"2015-10-26T21:04:52","slug":"rosamond-gifford-zoo-receives-aza-quarter-century-award","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/?p=64300","title":{"rendered":"Rosamond Gifford Zoo Receives AZA Quarter Century Award"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Rosamond<\/a>(Syracuse, NY \u2013 Oct. 26, 2015) The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is a recipient of the new Quarter Century Award presented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The award recognizes zoos and aquariums that have been AZA-accredited continuously for 25 years or more. Award recipients were announced during the AZA national conference held in Salt Lake City.<\/p>\n

The Rosamond Gifford Zoo was accredited for the first time in 1987 and has been granted accreditation continuously ever since. The zoo\u2019s most recent accreditation was granted by the AZA in 2013 and is in effect through September 2018.<\/p>\n

\u201cAccreditation is our guests\u2019 guarantee that we abide by the highest standards in animal care, conservation education and visitor experience\u2014a responsibility we take very seriously. We are pleased to be recognized by the AZA for our dedication to excellence and to our mission.\u00a0Congratulations to the zoo and its staff for this achievement,\u201d said County Executive Joanne M. Mahoney.<\/p>\n

\u201cAZA-accredited institutions, like ours, are leaders in wildlife conservation and animal care. Fewer than 10 percent of the approximately 2,800 animal exhibitors licensed by the USDA are AZA-accredited. AZA zoos and aquariums provide $160 million in support of conservation projects every year and draw 181 million visitors annually\u2014attendance greater than the NFL, NHL and MLB combined. We are proud that, as an AZA-accredited facility, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is part of North America\u2019s largest wildlife conservation movement,\u201d said Ted Fox, zoo director.<\/p>\n

In order to be accredited, the Rosamond Gifford Zoo undergoes a thorough mandatory review every five years to ensure it has and will continue to meet rising standards in animal care, veterinary programs, conservation, education and safety. The accreditation process includes a detailed application made by the zoo and rigorous on-site inspection by a team of trained zoo and aquarium professionals to observe all aspects of the institution\u2019s operation, including animal care; keeper training; safety for visitors, staff and animals; educational programs; conservation efforts; veterinary programs; financial stability; risk management; visitor services; and other areas.<\/p>\n

Friends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, the non-profit organization dedicated to the zoo\u2019s mission through financial support of the welfare of the zoo\u2019s animals, educational programs and family-friendly facilities, is an integral partner in the zoo\u2019s AZA accreditation. During the accreditation process, the financial strength of the Friends is reviewed to determine its future ability to meet its mission of support to the zoo.<\/p>\n

\u201cFriends of the Rosamond Gifford Zoo is proud to have been a partner in this outstanding achievement since the zoo\u2019s very first AZA accreditation in 1987. Continuous accreditation is an assurance to our donors and members that they are not only supporting a cornerstone of our community, but a leading institution,\u201d says Janet Agostini, president and CEO of Friends of the Zoo.<\/p>\n

The Friends organization supports educational programming for visitors and the community; marketing, fundraising, and development efforts; and operates The Curious Cub Gift Shop, Catering at the Zoo, and Jungle Caf\u00e9. Over the years, the organization has helped build new exhibits, improve existing habitats, upgrade facilities and provide zoo staff development.<\/p>\n

Founded in 1924, the AZA is a nonprofit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, animal welfare, education, science, and recreation. The AZA accreditation logo is the public\u2019s assurance that they are supporting a facility dedicated to providing excellent care for animals, a great guest experience and a better future for all living things.<\/p>\n

To learn more, visit\u00a0aza.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

(Syracuse, NY \u2013 Oct. 26, 2015) The Rosamond Gifford Zoo at Burnet Park is a recipient of the new Quarter Century Award presented by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA). The award recognizes zoos and aquariums that have been AZA-accredited continuously for 25 years or more. Award recipients were announced during the AZA national […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":46395,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_hide_featured_image":false,"_jetpack_featured_image_duplicate_dismissed":0,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-64300","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[],"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p43meu-gJ6","jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/madisoncountycourier.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/05\/Rosamond-Gifford-Zoo.jpg?fit=226%2C178&ssl=1","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64300","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=64300"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/64300\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/46395"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=64300"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=64300"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/madisoncountycourier.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=64300"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}