Central Zoo Authority risks losing membership of global animal welfare body

In a letter to Shukla, the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums (WAZA) said that no more extensions will be given to the CZA to meet the deadline. "As of today, 19 of WAZA's 21 association members have met the 23 AWG. The WAZA Council continues to closely monitor the progress of those who have yet to comply. We would like to emphasise that there will be no further extensions beyond the November 30 deadline.

"Failure to meet this requirement will result in non-compliance with WAZA's bylaws, placing the respective associations at significant risk of losing their WAZA membership. It is also important to note that the termination of an association's membership has broader implications," the letter read.

The goal is for all WAZA members to develop and implement animal welfare evaluation programmes based on standards agreed upon by WAZA. WAZA President Karen Fifield wrote in the letter that this will also affect the nine facilities in India that are WAZA members through the CZA, as they will lose their membership too.

"Candidates currently undergoing the WAZA membership application process will also be denied WAZA membership. Furthermore, other institutions under CZA will no longer be eligible to apply for WAZA institution membership," the letter read.

WAZA has requested an urgent meeting with the CZA within the next 10 days to discuss how to meet this deadline and avoid losing membership. WAZA said it plans to inform the affected nine members in India about the situation by the third week of October if the issue remains unresolved.