Asian Elephant Support is pleased to announce that we were recently awarded Conservation Partnership status by the American Association of Zoo Keepers (AAZK). AAZK is an organization dedicated to the development of animal care professionals, providing resources and opportunities for members to enhance their skills and knowledge in the field of zoo keeping. The organization is also a tremendous supporter of conservation projects around the globe, running successful programs like Bowling for Rhinos – which focuses on the conservation of the five species of rhinoceros found in both Africa and Asia, and Trees for You and Me which promotes carbon emissions reductions through various efforts including education and reforestation projects.
AES Board Directors with High Forest AAZK Chapter Members at the 2022 AAZK Conference in Toronto
Current AES Board Members, Lindsey Eagan, Liz Beem and Mindy Ussrey will attest that their love for elephants and passion to help conserve the species started when they were Keepers at their respective Zoos. AES has enjoyed the support of so many individual Zoo Keepers and AAZK Chapters across the United States as they helped to spread the word and support AES’s fundraising campaigns, like Pizza for Pachyderms over the years.
With this new partnership we hope to be able to reach out to more AAZK Chapters and animal care professionals for support with projects that promote our mission to care for and conserve elephants in Asian range countries.
We wish to thank the AAZK Conservation Committee for the confidence they have expressed in our work over the last decade and a half by awarding us this Conservation Partner status. And we look forward to working with AAZK and all of its Members to deliver a better future for Asian elephants.
For more information about AAZK and the tremendous work they do, please visit their website - www.aazk.org. If you are a Zoo Keeper and belong to a local AAZK chapter, please email us to discuss more opportunities to work together.