Welcome to ZooCo Zoo consultancy

Welcome to ZooCO – Independent Consultancy for Animal Welfare, Policy, and Education

Making your animal facility future-proof — with heart, knowledge and integrity.

ZooCO ZooConsultancy is an independent Dutch advisory agency specializing in professional support for animal-related organizations. Whether you manage a public zoo, a children’s farm, an animal sanctuary or a government-funded animal facility, ZooCO helps you meet legal standards, improve welfare and safety, and increase public value.

We combine a deep love for animals with a clear understanding of laws, logistics, animal housing, and volunteer-based work environments. Based in the Netherlands, we are open to international collaborations and honored to contribute our knowledge to facilities worldwide.

What ZooCO offers

🔍 Animal Welfare & Compliance Audits
We assess your animal housing, husbandry, enclosure design, and species suitability based on international welfare guidelines, safety standards and current legislation.

⚖️ Legislation & Documentation Support
CITES, I&R, veterinary rules, health & safety, or animal registration? We help translate complex legal texts into actionable guidelines tailored to your specific situation.

🏗️ Facility (Re)Design & Development Advice
We offer practical advice on redesigning animal enclosures, visitor routes and educational areas. Always focused on the needs of both animals and visitors, and compliant with welfare standards and technical requirements.

📚 Educational Program Design
We assist with building or reviewing your educational content, volunteer training, visitor interaction plans and community engagement strategies.

🤝 Volunteer & Staff Management Advice
Many organizations rely on volunteer workforces. We support you in structuring safe, clear, and motivating environments for volunteers and staff alike — including training programs, safety protocols and internal communication.

📑 Custom Reports & Strategy Planning
You receive structured, clear and actionable reports that help you make decisions, set priorities, or plan future improvements — at board, policy or practical level.

Who we work with

ZooCO is your partner if you are:

  • A zoo or animal park (public or private)

  • A children’s farm or petting zoo (city-run or non-profit)

  • An animal rescue, sanctuary or shelter

  • A municipality or regional government responsible for animal-related locations

  • A school or community initiative involving animal education

We understand that each organization is unique. That’s why we work tailor-made — practical when needed, strategic when required.

Why choose ZooCO?

✓ Over 10 years of hands-on experience in zoo education, welfare audits and volunteer coordination
✓ Strong expertise in European animal legislation, including a bit CITES, Dutch, Belgium and EU-level laws
✓ Experience in working with both grassroots foundations and local governments
✓ Excellent communicator and network builder — online and offline
✓ Passionate about animal ethics, biodiversity and meaningful visitor education
✓ Professional, independent, and always honest — we aim to improve, not to judge

Interested in working together?

We are happy to explore how we can support your organization — remotely or on-site.

Feel free to reach out in English, German or Dutch.