Brookgreen's Lowcountry Zoo Receives Accreditation

What an exciting morning in Seattle as Brookgreen was recognized at the annual meeting of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) for earning our accreditation!

Andrea DeMuth, Brookgreen’s Vice President of Zoological Collections and Curator of Animals, and I celebrated the completion of this rigorous process with a selfie from the conference.   We shared our celebration photo in real time with kudos to Brookgreen staff, especially our dedicated zoo professionals, for their hard work. To achieve accreditation institutions complete a detailed application and a meticulous on-site inspection by a team of trained zoo and professionals. The process culminated today with a formal hearing by the independent Accreditation Commission. Andrea was recognized by the Commission for her dedication to animal care and welfare. Brookgreen is certainly lucky to have her leadership!

Brookgreen had to show it has and will continue to meet rising standards in animal care and welfare, conservation, education and safety. AZA requires zoos and aquariums to successfully complete this rigorous accreditation process every five years in order to be members of the Association. In 1983 Brookgreen became one of the few organizations with accreditation from AZA and the American Alliance of Museums. It has now been accredited for more than 35 years and is one of only 14 dually accredited institutions in the country. When people visit Brookgreen’s Lowcountry Zoo they can be assured they are supporting an institution that meets the highest national standards. AZA praised Brookgreen for its role in the conservation of wildlife, especially our protection of critical long leaf pine habitat and for our breeding program of Spanish goats.

While people often associate zoos with non-native animals like like lions and tigers, Brookgreen has included a zoo since it’s founding. The Huntingtons featured exhibits of animals of the Lowcountry as part of their desire to educate and conserve the flora and fauna of the region. Many people remember the Bear exhibit seen as visitors entered Brookgreen in the early years.

Building the bear enclosure, c 1931.

Exhibit standards have changed and I think the Huntingtons would applaud the beautiful and natural habitats in today’s Lowcountry Zoo. Animals were also Anna’s favorite subjects of her art, and many were modeled from animals at Brookgreen.   Don Quixote by Anna Hyatt Huntington, 1949

The next time you attend an animal program at the zoo, admire her Wildlife Column located near the Campbell Center. The bronze column features a fox, beaver, goose and duck and a spiral of herons in flight. Students of Brookgreen’s sculpture classes include time to visit the animals in the Zoo for inspiration, following in the footsteps of our founder.