Yesterday, April 14, the Feldman Ecopark became the candidate for the membership in the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). During the meeting of the directors, the EAZA Vice President, the director of the Jerusalem Biblical Zoo Shai Doron presented the Feldman Ecopark to its participants. The Ecopark prepared to this membership during several years and fulfilled all the requirements of the EAZA. The Feldman Ecopark was accepted as a candidate for membership by the absolute majority.
“Selecting the candidates, the directors take into account the level of animal care, the conditions of the veterinary safety and safety for visitors, the educative activity of zoo and accessibility for children, elderly persons and visitors with special needs,” the founder of the Feldman Ecopark Oleksandr Feldman told.
The status of a candidate means that the next stage is a full-fledged membership in the Association. This may happen during a year in case of observing the requirements of the EAZA.
According to the words of Mr. Feldman, EAZA membership is, first of all, the confirmation that the Ecopark has a high international level status, the evidence of the fact that animals are kept in accordance with the world standards. EAZA has very serious requirements for its members and candidates, providing huge opportunities as well. The matter is in the participation in the single on-line system of European zoos, receiving of the information about all events in the leading zoos, the possibility to exchange animals with European and world zoos, the cooperation and experience sharing with the best European specialists.
“We are already on the EAZA map, and everyone knows us and takes us into consideration,” the founder of the Feldman Ecopark Oleksandr Feldman noted. He congratulated all the workers of the Ecopark with this event and thanked them for the hard work.
“This important stem became possible only thanks to You, thanks to the everyday efforts of the whole team,” Mr. Feldman noted. “I am sure that we will achieve more success and make our Ecopark even better.”
Reference: The European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) is the organization uniting zoos and aquariums from 34 countries. 20,000 persons work in institutions of the Association. Over 125 million persons visit them every year. EAZA members carry out researches directed at preservation of wild fauna, eco-education, guarantee of animals’ well-being, eco-tourism and other areas. EAZA collections consist of over 250,000 animals.
