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Mid-1970s — accredited through September 2029
The course: The Fort Wayne Zoo has been accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums continuously since the mid-1970s. The zoo states the distinction in its own words, in Executive Director Rick Schuiteman's statement on the most recent grant: "The Fort Wayne Children's Zoo has been accredited by AZA since the mid 1970's and was the 13th zoo in the country to receive accreditation." The exact year of the first grant is not fixed more precisely in the record reached — the zoo's own current phrasing is "the mid 1970's," and it is printed as the zoo gives it. AZA accreditation runs in five-year cycles, each earned through a detailed application, a multi-day on-site inspection by an independent team, and a formal hearing before the Accreditation Commission.
The present grant: The current accreditation was granted at the AZA's annual conference in Calgary, Alberta, in the fall of 2024 — one of thirty-three facilities granted accreditation at that conference — and the AZA's institution list carries the Fort Wayne Zoo as accredited through September 2029. The grant came in the zoo's last season under its old name; the AZA's list now carries the institution, as the zoo itself does, as the Fort Wayne Zoo.
Sources:
- Fort Wayne Children's Zoo, "Fort Wayne Children's Zoo Receives AZA Accreditation," zoo release, 1 October 2024 (Schuiteman's statement, quoted; the Calgary conference; the inspection process), fwzoo.com.
- Association of Zoos and Aquariums, "Institution Status" list, as of September 2026 (Fort Wayne Zoo, Fort Wayne — accredited through September 2029), aza.org.