How ZIMS can help with your Zoological Association of America (ZAA) accreditation application.
Based on the ZAA Accreditation Standards 2023 Edition
ZAA Accreditation Supplement
Using ZIMS to help prepare for your ZAA Accreditation
Revised August 2024
Introduction
The ZIMS application can help make your AZA accreditation process easier by helping you gather information for your application and provide answers to questions during your site visit. Some of the accreditation questions can be answered directly by downloading/ printing information from ZIMS in the form of reports or exports. ZIMS helps you easily gather information you will need to answer questions in the requested format (narrative, provided form, etc.).
This document follows the ZAA Accreditation Standards 2023 Edition document, and outlines ways in which ZIMS can be used to answer specific points. Only sections within the standards that can be assisted with ZIMS will be included.
Each section in this document will correspond to the numbered section within the accreditation standards for ease.
This section outlines the ways ZIMS can assist your accreditation process within Section 1.1 – Animal Welfare, Care and Management.
ICPs can be documented in ZIMS by capturing plans for each exhibit within the Planned Taxa grids in the Enclosure module. In the below example, we planned to add black swans ( Cygnus atratus ) and red kangaroos ( Macropus rufus ) in 2021, and add Parma wallabies ( Macropus parma ) and red-necked wallabies ( Macropus rufogriseus) in 2022.
The plans for black swans, Parma wallabies and red-necked wallabies are still active, but we can see the plan for red-kangaroos has been marked inactive due to the enclosure not being suitable. A note was added to the plan to document this.
Notes can also be added to document why you wish to add a specific species, as we see here with the Parma wallabies.
Once you have recorded your planned taxa for your enclosures, you can run a report within ZIMS to search for all your planned taxa.
Within the Enclosure module search box, navigate to Planned Taxa Search (1). Search for specific species, taxa groups or plan years (2), or leave the search criteria blank to bring up all planned taxa entered in ZIMS. Click Search to run the search (3).
This will bring up a list of your planned taxa (filtered by your search criteria). You can export this list to Excel or PDF by clicking on the buttons highlighted.
Read more here:
There are two types of inventory report that can be run in ZIMS, the Inventory Summary Report, and the Inventory Detail Report.
The Inventory Summary Report provides a six column inventory, detailing the number of animals at the start date and end date, and details the number of births, acquisitions, deaths and dispositions during that time period. The report can be run for individuals only, or for individuals and groups. You can also choose to include any group split/merges in the acquisition and disposition columns.
The Inventory Detail Report provides the same six column inventory, but gives you the option to include or exclude animals in or out on loan. In addition to the six columns in the Summary Report, the Detail Report also has a change column. When the report displays, it splits each species into the separate rows: Owned And Onsite, In On Loan, Out On Loan, Groups and Colonies. You can also choose to display CITES and IUCN information on your inventory for added value.
Note that group animals in/out on loan will not display in the In On Loan or Out On Loan Columns.
Another way to see your animals in or out on loan is to run a Loan Report. The Loan Report is accessed from the Start Menu, under Reports, Loan Report.
The Loan Report lists the details for each animal In on Loan or Out on Loan. You will need to run the report once for animals In on Loan, and again for animals Out on Loan.
Read more here:
“ Animals are identifiable by corresponding individual or group ID numbers. IDs include, but are not limited to: tattoo, tags, photo, transponder ID, leg band, and/or ear notches. Animals maintained in colonies/groups or other animals not considered readily identifiable; facility provides a statement explaining how record keeping is maintained.”
Animal identifiers can be recorded in the Identifiers grid on an animals record. Identifiers can be physical identifiers, such as tags, bands, markings and transponders, or logical identifiers, such as house names, studbook numbers and passport numbers.
You can view identifiers for multiple animals in Animal Search Results by customizing the columns to display the required identifiers. You can export the list by clicking the Export to Excel button.
Another useful identifier is making use of the Images section in an animal record. You can use this grid to record identifying images, such as markings or characteristics. You can also set the picture as the profile picture for the record for quick identification, for example this zebra’s strip pattern.
Read more here:
“Facility staff keeps all animal records current.”
Use the Daily Activity feature to see all recently recorded data.
When the page loads, if no filters are applied the report will show all records that were recorded yesterday at your institution, to see a different date range, specific taxonomies or record types, use the filters to adjust your search. The results can be exported to excel using the button.
Read more here:
“Facility ensures consistent data access, entry, and management by providing training for staff (registrars, animal care, veterinarians, etc.).”
All ZIMS users have access to the
free online course
designed primarily for aquarists and keepers. When logged into ZIMS, access the Help Menu > ZIMS Academy > Keeper and Aquarist Course to get the required enrollment key.
“Facility provides all available data, including any historical data from the previous holding facility, when a new animal is transferred.”
In ZIMS you can easily share an animal’s husbandry or medical records with another ZIMS institution. You can share a single record through the animals module, or a whole taxon (e.g. species or class) through the institution module.
In order for another ZIMS institution to be able to view your medical records, they must have the same level of sharing (Gold, Silver, Bronze, No sharing). These medical sharing preferences can be found in Institutional Preferences, under ZIMS Accessibility and Features.
You can share a single record from an animal record in the External Sharing grid within the Detail tab.
You can share records for a whole taxon, e.g., for an entire species or class, or share a single record within the External Sharing grid in the My Institution tab in the Institution module. This grid will display all records your institution has shared. You can also export your full list of shared records to Excel of PDF by clicking on the export buttons.
Sharing with non-ZIMS institutions
ZIMS records cannot be shared with other records management systems, but data can be exported to send to those collections.
You can run a Specimen Report to extract all husbandry information added to the animal. The Specimen Report can be found under the Start Menu, Reports, Specimen Report, or it can be accessed from an animal record by clicking Actions on the Details tab.
The specimen report allows you to select which information you would like to extract in your report, including basic animal information such as birth/hatch dates, parents, identifiers, and more detailed information such as notes & observation, training sessions and feed logs. Once run, the report can be exported to various formats, including PDF, which you can then send on to the receiving institution.
You can export a complete medical history form the Medical module by running a Complete Medical History report, or by exporting the medical dashboard for an animal.
The Complete Medical History report is found in the Start Menu, under Medical, Medical Reports, Complete Medical History, or within the Medical module under Reports,
You can only run the Complete Medical History report for one animal at a time. You can select which sections of the medical record to extract if you only need to share part of the report. You can also limit the report to specific dates, for example if you only need to extract the past year. When you have run the report, you can click the Export PDF button to download the report to send on.
You can also download a full medical history from the Medical Dashboard. When in Medical, search for your specific animal, make sure any filters have been removed if you want to send the full record, then click Export Medical List, or click the PDF icon next to the animal ID.
Read more here:
“Facility has a documented process for assessing animal welfare and wellness.”
If you use the Care and Welfare module for assessing welfare and wellness, you can demonstrate your use and export data in a range of ways. The Care and Welfare module is found in the Start Menu under Animals, Care and Welfare.
Within the Care and Welfare module, clicking Templates on the left panel (1) will show a list of all templates you have set up (2). Search the templates (3) to filter your list, or click on the blue name (2) to demonstrate the welfare and wellness indicators you are monitoring.
To view recorded data within the module, click on Chart (1) and search for the animal you wish to view (2), along with any date filters. All recorded data for that animal and timeframe will appear in the graph (3). Alternatively, click Switch to List view (4) to view all the data in a list (5).
To export care and welfare data, choose Export from the left panel (1), fill in your search criteria (2), then click Export (3) to export the data to excel.
If you want to export all data entered into Care and Welfare, set the start date to 1/1/1800, set the Taxonomy to Animalia/Animals, and select all your indicators.
Outside of the Care and Welfare module, you can also view and export your data in the Animal Graphing Tool. The Animal Graphing Tool is found in the Start Menu under Tools, Animal Graphing Tool.
The Animal Graphing Tool lets you graph multiple animals at the same time to compare their welfare and wellness. Choose your date range (1) and your animals (2). In the Measurement Type (3), choose all of the Care and Welfare categories. Then, because we have chosen multiple animals, we can choose to group the graphs by Animal or Measurement Type (4). We have chosen Measurement Type here to compare the indicators across multiple animals. Click Show Graph (5) to run.
Each indicator is displayed in its own graph, as we chose to group graphs by Measurement Type. Click on the hamburger icon
on each graph to export the data to excel or export the graph as a picture.
Learn more here:
“Facility should keep all animals in appropriate groupings which meet their social and welfare needs.”
ZIMS can help you see which animals are sharing enclosures and export this as a report. The Enclosure Occupants Summary report can produce a table that displays which species, and how many individuals are housed in each of the enclosures.
“Facility has a regular program for monitoring water quality for aquarium fish and marine mammals. Facility records, documents long-term water quality assessments and results.”
You can graph or export your water quality data easily using the Environmental Quality Graph to demonstrate your regular monitoring program. The Environmental Quality Graph can be found in the Start Menu under Tools, Environmental Quality Graph
Choose your date range (1) and your enclosures, life supports or components (2). You can use the magnifier glass to search for items here, or look for entities under a specific responsible party. Choose your Measurement Types (3) then choose to either Show Graph, or Export straight to Excel.
Show Graph:
Export to Excel: 
Read more here:
“Facility’s animals housed either long-term or permanently in indoor facilities, are provided with appropriate species-specific UV spectrum”
UV measurements can be recorded on terrestrial enclosures, life supports and components. The UV measurements can then be exported via the Environmental Quality Graph .
“Facility has developed, implemented, maintained, documented, species-specific enrichment programs which includes animal history, husbandry, evidence-based practices, that enhance the overall health and well-being. (Example: Enrichment Request, Enrichment schedule, etc.)”
Enrichment can be recorded on an animals record within the Enrichment grid. Here you can assign items to an animal/group, and add sessions to record an animals interaction when the enrichment is provided. You can view the sessions for each item by clicking View/Edit for that item. You can export the enrichment items and sessions for a record by clicking the export to PDF or Excel buttons.
You can export the enrichment items and sessions for your whole collection by running the Enrichment Sessions Report. This report can be found in the Start Menu under Reports, Enrichment Sessions Report.
To run the report for all the enrichment sessions added, set the Taxonomy to Animalia/Animals and set the Start Date to 01/01/1800.
The report exports all enrichment sessions given, detailing the item as well as the goal, reaction, staff and much more.
Read more here:
“Facility has developed, implemented, maintained, documented, species-specific animal training program which includes animal history, husbandry, evidence-based practices, and veterinary procedures that enhance the overall health and well-being. (Example: Training Request, Training Plans etc.)”
Training can be recorded on an animals record within the Training grid. Here you can assign training programs to an animal/group, and add sessions to record an animals daily training session. You can view the sessions for each program by clicking View/Edit for that program. You can export the training programs and sessions for a record by clicking the export to PDF or Excel buttons.
Read more here:
This section outlines the ways ZIMS can assist your accreditation process within Section 1.2 – Veterinary Care.
“Facility maintains complete medical records on animals in the collection, including all preventative care, veterinary consults and treatment. Animal treatment(s) are easily searchable and retrievable. (Ex: Treatment log, drug log etc.)”
To display how up to date your medical records are you can choose to display the medical dashboard, which shows the most recent medical entries and export the medical list.
The medical dashboard displays entries from the past 7 days by default. You can change the filter if you wish to increase or decrease the date range, and you can export the list by clicking Export Medical List.
Read more here:
“Facility’s contracted veterinarian is responsible for prescribing or coordinating the prescription, storage, distribution and use of all animal prescription drugs in a fashion that complies with all applicable state, federal and local laws and regulations.”
By using the Pharmacy Inventory module in Medical ZIMS users can track the storage and distribution of all animal prescription drugs.
When prescription drugs are recorded in the Pharmacy Inventory, the prescription feature in Medical records allows users to only select from inventory items, which will in turn calculate how much of a drug has been dispensed.
If this workflow is used, then the Pharmacy Inventory or Drug Usage by Bottle ID Report can be used to monitor animal prescription drugs.
Read more here:
“Facility performs necropsy on deceased specimens to determine the cause of death for tracking morbidity and mortality trends in order to strengthen the program of veterinary care and animal care of the collection.”
A full list of Necropsies can be found within the Medical module. Within the dashboard, click Necropsy/Biopsy at the bottom of the screen (1). Choose to run a Necropsy/Biopsy Simple Search or a Necropsy/Biopsy Advanced Search (2). A full list of necropsies matching your search will appear in the center screen (3). If you want to export the full necropsies in your list, click Export Medical List.
Read more here:
This section outlines the ways ZIMS can assist your accreditation process within Section 1.3 – Conservation.
“Facility participates in each AMP that pertains to an animal belonging to the facility. It is mandatory to participate in the collection of data pertaining to AMP animals, at least at a minimum of records submission. The facility may indicate at what level it desires to participate in each AMP.”
Data can be shared with the species manager or studbook holder either directly through ZIMS or by sharing exported reports from ZIMS. Please see 1.1.3.7 Record sharing .
This section outlines the ways ZIMS can assist your accreditation process within Section 2.1 – Elephants
“Written feeding protocols must be maintained. Elephant weights and/or body condition scores must be recorded bi-annually. Diet and exercise programs must be in place for elephants.”
Feed logs can be maintained for each animal and exported as a report using the export buttons in the Feed Logs box on an animals record.
Weights can be recorded and monitored through the weights box on an animals record. Use the weight graph option to visualize this and the export buttons to export raw data.
Body condition scores can be recorded and viewed from the animal record Basic Info box. Body weight and Body condition scores can also be added from the Medical records module.
To see an export of body condition scores and weights together, use the Weight Monitoring Report which can be accessed from the Start Menu, under Medical, Medical Reports, Weight Monitoring Report.
Read more here:
“Facility must have a documented plan for and records of enrichment.”
See 1.1.6.1 Enrichment records
“Facility elephant staff maintain records of any unusual behavior, physical irregularity and/or administration of medication.”
Notes and Observations can be used by staff to record unusual behaviors and physical irregularities. These notes can be retrieved and compiled using the Note Retrieval report which can be accessed from the Start Menu, under Reports, Note Retrieval.
Using the filters in the report, you can retrieve notes added for certain taxa in a set date range. If your institution uses a standardized note type to record all unusual behaviors or physical irregularities, then these Notes Types can be selected for the report.
Read more here:
“Facility documents and actively addresses disease or foot injury.”
All disease and injuries can be recorded in Medical records. To export these records for individual elephants, use the Complete Medical History report, which can be accessed from the Start menu, under Medical, Medical Reports, Complete Medical History.
Read more here:
“Facility has and maintains a record of annual medical exams and other treatment.”
All medical exams and treatments for elephants can be recorded in Medical Records, these can then be exported using the Complete Medical History report .
“Ownership and any applicable chain-of-custody must be documented.”
Ownership of animals is recorded during each acquisition or disposition transaction in ZIMS so it is clear to see which institution has ownership of an animal. Use the Loan Report to export lists of animals your institution either has Loaned in or Loaned out. This can be accessed from the Start menu under Reports, Loan Report.
To read more:
“Acquisitions or transfers/euthanasia/translocations must be documented through the facility's record keeping systems. The record-keeping system must include animal identification and transfer information. Any existing documentation must accompany all transfers.”
You can quickly export a list of transactions (acquisitions and dispositions, including births and deaths) for your institution by running the Transaction Report. This report is found in the Start Menu, under Reports, Transaction Report.
First, choose the scope of your report (1). You can choose to include both groups and individual records, or just groups or just individuals. You can also choose to include pre-births (egg & fetus). You can run the report for the animalia taxonomy, which will bring up all transactions for your zoo within the data range, or you can choose to limit by taxa and enclosure to look at a specific area of your zoo. You can also choose to look at transactions related to a specific party or location.
Next you need to set transaction filters for your report. Basic (2) lets you choose whether to include all births, all deaths, all acquisitions and all dispositions, and physical or ownership transactions. Advanced filters (3) allow you to choose specific types of birth, death, acquisition and disposition, for example partial group transactions, or egg deaths.
Finally you need to set your display options (4), or leave them as default. You can choose to sort your results by taxa, ID or type, and whether you want to use Local or Global taxonomy. Once you have set all of your filters, click Run Report (5) at the top of your screen.
Here is an example report for the training data set. Our report is grouped by taxonomy to show the transactions for each species.
To export a list of deaths detailing whether the death was natural or euthanasia, an Activity Report can be used. The Activity Report is found in the Start Menu, under Reports, Activity Report.
In the search criteria, set Event Type to Deaths, then select any other filters you wish to run. You can run the report, and then export to PDF, or you can click Export for Raw Excel if you want to run some quick formatting to highlight the natural vs euthanasia deaths.
Here is an example Activity Report Excel export for deaths (some columns have been removed from this example). You can see in column I that ZIMS uses the standard term: Deaths: Natural/Non-euthanasia, Deaths: Euthanasia, management, Deaths: Euthanasia, medical, Deaths: Euthanasia, etc.
You can use conditional formatting in Excel to highlight cells containing specific words.
First, highlight column I (1), click Conditional Formatting (2), click Highlight Cell Rules (3) and choose Text that Contains… (4).
In the pop-up, type in the text you want to highlight, and choose the color you would like to highlight in. You can also use ‘More Rules…’ in the conditional formatting menu to use rules such as ‘does not contain’ to highlight anything but a natural death.
Read more here:
“For some colonial, group-living, or prolific species, it may be impossible or highly impractical to identify individual animals when these individuals are maintained in a group. These species can be maintained, acquired, transferred, and managed as a group or colony, or as part of a group or colony.”