Species360 (formerly International Species Information System or ISIS) founded in 1974, is an international non-profit organization that maintains an online database of wild animals under human care. , the organization serves more than 1,000
zoos,
aquariums and zoological associations in 90 countries worldwide.
The organization provides its members with zoological data collection and management
software
Software is a set of computer programs and associated software documentation, documentation and data (computing), data. This is in contrast to Computer hardware, hardware, from which the system is built and which actually performs the work.
...
called ZIMS—the ''Zoological Information Management System''.
ZIMS project was a large global collaboration with 600 people contributing under the leadership of
Nate Flesness, Executive Director of Species360 (1979–2009), and
Hassan Syed, CIO of Species360 (2003–2010). The ZIMS database contains information on 22,000 species, 10 million animals, and 82 million medical records.
Members use the basic biologic information (age, sex, parentage, place of birth, circumstance of death, etc.) collected in the system to care for and manage their animal collections (including demographic and genetic management in many cases). It is also used for ex situ breeding programs and supporting conservation research and programs.
Since its foundation in 1973, the group has been a Non-Governmental Organization (NGO) pursuing wild animal conservation goals. Species360 works in partnership with zoo associations around the world.
Centralized database
Modern zoos and aquariums often are "gene banks" for
endangered species. In some cases, species which have become extinct in the wild and have been bred in zoos are eventually returned to the wild. Examples include the
black-footed ferret,
California condor
The California condor (''Gymnogyps californianus'') is a New World vulture and the largest North American land bird. It became extinct in the wild in 1987 when all remaining wild individuals were captured, but has since been reintroduced to n ...
,
Przewalski's horse,
red wolf,
Micronesian kingfisher (not yet reintroduced), and the
Arabian oryx
The Arabian oryx (''Oryx leucoryx'') or white oryx is a medium-sized antelope with a distinct shoulder bump, long, straight horns, and a tufted tail. It is a bovid, and the smallest member of the genus '' Oryx'', native to desert and steppe areas ...
. Individual zoos generally do not have the space to maintain a viable species population (which for many mammals and birds requires 500+ animals in order to maintain sufficient genetic diversity), so maintaining genetic diversity requires coordination between many zoos. Scientific expertise on husbandry, nutrition, veterinary care and so on is spread throughout the zoos and aquaria of the world. Breeding and population management relies on accurate information about animals in all member institutions, especially
pedigree history (parentage) and
demography
Demography () is the statistical study of populations, especially human beings.
Demographic analysis examines and measures the dimensions and dynamics of populations; it can cover whole societies or groups defined by criteria such as ed ...
(births and deaths).
Species360 records are accepted by international regulatory bodies such as
CITES
CITES (shorter name for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, also known as the Washington Convention) is a multilateral treaty to protect endangered plants and animals from the threats of interna ...
. Roughly three-quarters of
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums ...
(AZA) members in North America are members, and the
European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA) requires its members to join. The
World Association of Zoos and Aquaria's (WAZA) Conservation Strategy Guidelines strongly recommend that all zoo and aquaria join and participate in data sharing via ZIMS.
Software
; ZIMS (Zoological Information Management System) for Husbandry: A web-based record-keeping system used by zoos, aquariums, and zoological associations to capture and organize husbandry information. also includes best practices and collaboration opportunities among members.
; ZIMS for Medical: A web-based module used to capture and organize: A web-based record-keeping system used by zoos, aquariums, and zoological associations to capture and organize veterinary information.
; ZIMS for Studbooks: A web-based record-keeping system used by studbook keepers at zoos, aquariums, and zoological associations to manage the genetics of small populations. This tool is managing over 1300 species studbooks globally and replaced SPARKS, the DOS-based Single Population Analysis and Records Keeping System.
The ZIMS application is the world's first and only real-time, unified global database for animals in zoos and aquariums.
; LearnZIMS – the educational version of ZIMS: is made available for licensing to educational organizations teaching animal husbandry, zoo, and aquarium science. This version of ZIMS mirrors the standard ZIMS application but does not include the global database of animal records. LearnZIMS uses a fictitious dataset to teach application functionality and to demonstrate the types of data that are collected in the global database.
Members
Regional association members include:
* Arabian Zoo and Aquarium Association (AZAA)
* Asociación Colombiana de Parques Zoológicos y Acuarios (ACOPAZOA)
* Asociación de Zoológicos Criaderos y Acuarios de México (AZCARM)
* Asociación Ecuatoriana de Zoológicos y Acuarios
* Asociación Latinoamericana de Parques Zoológicos y Acuarios (ALPZA)
* Asociación Mesoamericana y del Caribe de Zoológicos y Acuarios (AMAZOO)
* Asociación Venezolana de Parques Zoológicos y Acuarios (AVZA)
* Association Française des Parcs Zoologiques (AFdPZ)
*
Association of Zoos & Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums in ...
(AZA)
*
British and Irish Association of Zoos and Aquariums (BIAZA)
* Canadian Accredited Zoos and Aquariums (CAZA)
*
Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA)
* Danish Association for Zool Gardens and Aquaria (DAZA)
* Eurasian Regional Association of Zoos & Aquariums
*
European Association of Zoos & Aquaria (EAZA)
* Florida Association of Zoos and Aquariums
* Iberian Association of Zoos & Aquaria (AIZA)
*
Israel Nature & Parks Authority
* Israeli Zoo Association
*
Japanese Association of Zoos and Aquariums (JAZA)
* Korean Association of Zoos and Aquariums (KAZA)
* Malaysian Association of Zoological Parks & Aquaria (MAZPA)
*
Nederlandse Vereniging van Dierentuinen (NVD)
* Pan-African Association of Zoos and Aquaria
* Perhimpunan Kebun Binatang - Indonesian Zoo & Aquarium Association (PKBSI)
* Polish Association of Directors of Zoos & Aquaria (PZDA)
* Romanian Zoo & Aquarium Federation (RZAF)
* Sociedade de Zoologicos e Aquarios do Brasil (SZB)
*
South-East Asia Zoos Association (SEAZA)
* Swedish Association of Zoos & Aquaria (SAZA)
* Thai Zoological Park Organization Under The Royal Patronage of HM The King (ZPO)
* Ukrainian Association of Zoos & Aquariums
* Unione Italiana Giardini Zoologici e Acquari (UIZA)
*
Verband der Zoologischen Gärten (VdZ) e.V.
*
Wildlife Institute of India
*
Zoo Aquarium Association (ARAZPA Inc) (ZAA)
* Zoological Association of America
Species360 and the
Central Zoo Authority of India (CZA) have a five-year memorandum of understanding with a primary goal of migrating the majority of the zoos in India into the ZIMS database.
The organization has staff and representatives in
Amsterdam
Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...
(the Netherlands),
New Delhi
New Delhi (, , ''Naī Dillī'') is the Capital city, capital of India and a part of the NCT Delhi, National Capital Territory of Delhi (NCT). New Delhi is the seat of all three branches of the government of India, hosting the Rashtrapati B ...
(India),
Jerusalem
Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...
(Israel),
Odense
Odense ( , , ) is the third largest city in Denmark (behind Copenhagen and Aarhus) and the largest city on the island of Funen. As of 1 January 2022, the city proper had a population of 180,863 while Odense Municipality had a population of 2 ...
(Denmark), and
Istanbul
Istanbul ( , ; tr, İstanbul ), formerly known as Constantinople ( grc-gre, Κωνσταντινούπολις; la, Constantinopolis), is the List of largest cities and towns in Turkey, largest city in Turkey, serving as the country's economic, ...
(Turkey) with headquarters in
Minnesota
Minnesota () is a state in the upper midwestern region of the United States. It is the 12th largest U.S. state in area and the List of U.S. states and territories by population, 22nd most populous, with over 5.75 million residents. Minne ...
(US).
History
In 1973, Ulysses Seal and Dale Makey proposed the ''International Species Information System'' (ISIS) as an international database to help zoos and aquariums accomplish long-term conservation management goals. It was founded in 1974 with an initial membership of 51 zoos in North America and Europe, and its membership has increased every year since.
Grants and endorsements were provided by the
Association of Zoos and Aquariums
The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), originally the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums, is an American 501(c)(3)
nonprofit organization founded in 1924 and dedicated to the advancement of zoos and public aquariums ...
(AZA), the
American Association of Zoo Veterinarians
American(s) may refer to:
* American, something of, from, or related to the United States of America, commonly known as the "United States" or "America"
** Americans, citizens and nationals of the United States of America
** American ancestry, pe ...
(AAZV) and other zoological associations. The founders also raised development funding from private foundations and the
United States Department of the Interior
The United States Department of the Interior (DOI) is one of the executive departments of the U.S. federal government headquartered at the Main Interior Building, located at 1849 C Street NW in Washington, D.C. It is responsible for the m ...
. For the first 30 years, the
Minnesota Zoo hosted the program on their grounds.
Since 1989, the organisation has been incorporated as a non-profit entity under an international Board of Trustees elected by subscribing member institutions.
In 2016, the organization was renamed as Species360, due to ISIS being an acronym for the
Islamic State of Iraq and Syria, a terrorist organization.
See also
*
List of zoo associations
This is a partial list of zoo and aquaria associations:
Global
* Alliance of Marine Mammal Parks and Aquariums (AMMPA)
* International Marine Animal Trainers Association (IMATA)
* Species 360 (formerly International Species Information System ...
References
External links
*
{{Authority control
International environmental organizations
Zoology organizations