Association of Zoos & Aquariums: Ethical Guide
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) is a 501©3 non-profit organization dedicated to the advancement of zoos and aquariums in the areas of conservation, education, science, and recreation (About Us, 2020). AZA represents more than 240 facilities in the United States and overseas, which collectively draw more than 200 million visitors every year (About Us, 2020). AZA-accredited zoos and aquariums meet the highest standards in animal care/welfare, conservation, scientific research and education. AZA member facilities are required to repeat the entire accreditation process every five years to assure that they are upholding the continuously evolving standards, incorporating best modern zoological practices in animal welfare and management (About AZA Accreditation, 2020). These high standards are maintained because of the integrity and passion of the employees and volunteers of the AZA-accredited facilities. Let’s take a closer look of an AZA-accredited facilities core code of ethics and social media ethics:
Core Code of Ethics
- Be responsible. Recognize the moral responsibilities to the AZA institution, professional associates, fellow employees and volunteers, the public, and the animals under our care (Code, 2020).
- Integrity and Judgement. Display the highest integrity, the best judgment or ethics possible, and use of professional skills to the best interests of all (Code, 2020).
- Be a Conservation Hero. Promote the interests of wildlife conservation, biodiversity, and animal welfare to the public and to colleagues (Code, 2020).
- Improve Zoos & Aquariums. Endeavor at all times to improve zoos and aquariums (Code, 2020).
Social Media Ethics
- Be Transparent. Transparency is key to gain trust between the public and an AZA zoo/aquarium. Use social media to share the emotion of the people who love and care for the animals. Those connections will help stories be even more relatable to the public. Provide a detail explanations and updates of the animal care and welfare. If you are transparent, public trust will be gained and will lead to their support for your AZA facility.
- Know Your Audience. Before embarking on any social media, make sure you know your audience, their preferences, interests and choices. This will help refine your target audience and give relevant messages that will drive engagement. For AZA facilities, knowing your audience will help with content including call to actions, videos, and photos.
- Speak the Truth. Be true to the mission of the AZA institution and your audience. “You can’t tell people how to feel, but it is only when you show them what’s going on and allow them to have their own feelings things really resonate” (Morell, 2020). The audience will only care about things they know about it.
- Imagine the Impact. If you are sharing information through your social media which has been acquired from a third party, like a conservation group, give clear disclaimers to avoid suspicions of conflict of interest. Moreover, be very careful about tweets and retweets. Public perception matters.
The AZA foundation is based on respect for the dignity of the animals in our care, the people we serve, and our fellow professionals and volunteers (Code, 2020). Honesty and public transparency in the zoo and aquarium world have become a big focus for the AZA. The recent shift is related to public scrutiny following films like Blackfish, but also has to do with the evolution of animal care in the facilities themselves (Morell, 2018). And social media has become one-way zoos worldwide are engaging with people who can no longer visit — their main source of income — and raise some much-needed cash (Tang, 2020). We are seeing zoos and aquariums get more creative and thinking outside of the box.
References
About AZA Accreditation. (2020, December 3). Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Retrieved from https://www.aza.org/what-is-accreditation
About Us. (2020, December 3). Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Retrieved from https://www.aza.org/about-us
Code of Professional Ethics. (2020, December 3). Association of Zoos & Aquariums. Retrieved from https://www.aza.org/code-of-ethics?locale=en#:~:text=A%20member%20of%20the%20AZA%20must%3A&text=Display%20the%20highest%20integrity%2C%20the,of%20professional%20information%20and%20advice.
Morell, Katie. (2018, September). Storytelling: The Benefits of Full Transparency. AZA’s Connect Magazine. Retrieved from https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5dd60685ffa40e5702af2ff9/t/5e3075df898d7b14b76aa69c/1580234209164/Transparency_Katie_Morell_Connect_September_2018.pdf
Tang, Terry. (2020, May 5). ‘Outside the box’: Zoos turn to social media to delight, raise money amid coronavirus. USA Today. Retrieved from https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/news/2020/05/05/coronavirus-zoos-turn-social-media-delight-raise-money/3083512001/