NCAZS Mission Statement

The North Carolina Association of Zoos and Sanctuaries represents the independent zoo and wildlife professionals in the state of North Carolina.

Our mission is to defend the rights of properly qualified working citizens, businesses and corporations to responsibly own, exhibit and rescue exotic animals, and to do business in the zoo and wildlife industry according to our state's right to work law (N.C. Gen. Stat. 95-78. to 84).

We support the establishment of safe, humane and reasonable standards for the responsible care, keeping, breeding, commercial transfer, educational use and exhibition of wildlife in this state. Our facilities are in compliance with all state, federal and local laws, and are inspected and licensed by the USDA and/or other authorized government agencies.

We do not support a government granted coercive monopoly on the zoo and wildlife industry in this state. As citizens of North Carolina, we have the right to work in the zoo and wildlife industry, adhering to standards that have already been legally established to ensure public safety and animal welfare. We have the right to organize and unionize, and we also have the right to choose not to join any specific union, organization or franchise.

Who Is The NCAZS?

NCAZS members are licensed businesses including nonprofit corporations with a financial interest in the zoo and wildlife industry in the state of North Carolina. Members may be zoos, outreach educators, wildlife sanctuaries, or suppliers of products to the industry such as livestock feed or specialty housing and handling materials, veterinarians and other professionals serving our industry.

We encourage private individuals, private owners, individual wildlife rehabilitators and breeders to join our supporting organization, the Exotic Animal Keepers Association (EAKA). NCAZS supports responsible private ownership of exotics if the same professional standards of public safety, animal welfare and veterinary care are adhered to by individuals as well as businesses. However, the NCAZS does not primarily serve the interests of individuals and is limited in its scope of membership to businesses with an economic interest in our state. NCAZS members are voluntarily bound by our Professional Code of Ethics. This code has been created to ensure animal welfare interests are met, animal handler safety is a priority, and the public is never put at risk.

You can contact us by emailing zoolobby at gmail dot com.

Keeping Our State's Zoos Open

Find out more about the laws that California animal rights activists are trying to sneak past the citizens of North Carolina to close our state's zoos.

Animal rights extremists are up to no good in the state of North Carolina. Take the "Ani-Scammer Tour" and learn the secrets that they don't want you to know.