International Species Information System

https://www.species360.org/

Species360 was founded in 1974 when Drs. Ulysses Seal and Dale Makey proposed the idea of an international database to help zoos and aquariums accomplish long-term conservation management goals. At that time, 51 zoos in North America and Europe responded to the invitation to participate in this network. The Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), the American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV) and other zoological associations provided grants and endorsements for the new organization. In addition, the doctors raised development funding from private foundations and the United States Department of Interior. The Minnesota Zoological Garden hosted the program for 15 years. Today, Species360 provides world-standard zoological data collection and sharing software to more than 800 member zoos, aquariums and related organizations in almost 80 countries. The Species360 global database for the zoological community contains information on millions of animals, more than 22,000 species, and is constantly growing.  The software is called the Zoological Information Management System or ZIMS

Members use this information to:

• manage their inventory
• control the genetic and demographic makeup of their animal collections
• find appropriate unrelated new animals
• identify institutions seeking animals
• discover facilities with experience in breeding and raising certain offspring
• create reports for governments and other official accrediting bodies
• develop conservation plans to protect, rehabilitate, and reintroduce endangered species 

These are only a few of the business-critical tasks that Species360 software delivers to members.