The Columbus Zoo and Aquarium has regained full accreditation from the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.
The zoo went through a review to make sure it's meeting or exceeding standards in several areas including animal care and wellbeing, veterinary medicine, governance, wildlife conservation, research, education, finance and safety.
The zoo filed an appeal after losing its accreditation back in Oct. 2021 over issues of financial mismanagement and concern for animal welfare in one of the zoo's programs.
After the zoo lost its accreditation, Tom Schmid took over as president and CEO in Dec. of 2021. Prior to taking over leadership at the zoo, Schmid worked in leadership roles with the Association of Zoos and Aquariums, which is considered the country's top zoo-accrediting agency.
