ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

World Association of Zoos and Aquariums

The World Association of Zoos and Aquariums, or WAZA, is like a club for zoos and aquariums from all around the world. This club helps these places work together to protect and care for animals.

It’s like if you have a lot of toys at home, but you can’t take care of all of them by yourself. You might ask your friends to help you make sure all of the toys are safe and clean. That’s what WAZA does for zoos and aquariums!

Zoos and aquariums are like big homes for animals where they can live happily and safely. They help us learn about different animals and how we can take care of them. But it’s important to make sure that the animals in zoos and aquariums are treated nicely and have everything they need.

That’s where WAZA comes in. They have rules that all the zoos and aquariums in the club have to follow, like how big the animal’s home has to be, what food they should eat, and how they should be treated.

WAZA also helps these places work together to protect animals from getting hurt or lost in the wild. They support projects that help endangered animals have a safe place to live, like building special homes for them or planting more trees and plants for them to eat.

So, WAZA is like a big group of friends that help make sure all the animals in zoos and aquariums are happy and safe, and that animals in the wild are protected too!