Welcome to ZooCo Zoo consultancy International animal welfare consultancy
Independent zoo consultancy for animal welfare, policy, education and practical facility development
ZooCO Zoo COnsultancy is an independent Dutch consultancy for organisations that work with animals.
From the Netherlands, ZooCO supports zoos, animal parks, sanctuaries, rescue centres, children’s farms, municipalities, NGOs and other organisations with animal facilities.
The focus is practical, careful and realistic: animal welfare, facility review, policy, documentation, licensing questions, enclosure development, education, volunteer training and long-term improvement.
ZooCO does not offer standard consultancy from behind a desk. Each project starts with the real situation: the animals, the people, the facility, the organisation, the available documents, the legal context and the practical choices that need to be made.
What ZooCO can help with
Animal welfare and facility review
ZooCO can provide an independent view on animal welfare, enclosures, daily care, visitor impact, staff routines, documentation and practical feasibility.
This can be useful for zoos, animal parks, sanctuaries, rescue centres and public animal facilities that want to understand what is working, what needs attention and what should be prioritised.
Policy, licensing and documentation support
Animal facilities often need clear documents: animal management plans, policies, protocols, work instructions, education plans, conservation information, animal records and licence-related information.
ZooCO can help structure and improve these documents so they become usable in practice.
ZooCO does not replace a local lawyer, official authority or inspector. The role is to support the animal-related side of the dossier and make the information clearer, stronger and more practical.
Enclosure, routing and collection development
Good animal facilities must work for animals, caretakers, visitors and the organisation.
ZooCO can advise on enclosure use, animal collection choices, visitor routing, species suitability, phased improvements and long-term development.
The focus is not on technical drawings, but on what the area needs to achieve from an animal welfare, management and visitor perspective.
Sanctuaries and rescue centres
Sanctuaries and rescue centres often care for animals with complex histories and long-term needs. They may also face limited budgets, public expectations, difficult animal choices and changing legal or organisational requirements.
ZooCO can support sanctuaries and rescue centres with independent review, policy structure, facility priorities, visitor communication, education and long-term planning.
Education, volunteer training and visitor experience
Animal facilities are also learning environments.
ZooCO can help with volunteer training, guided tour structure, educational content, visitor interpretation, animal stories, public communication and practical knowledge transfer.
Good education should support animal welfare, not work against it.
Pre-assessment for EAZA or other membership applications
Some zoos and aquariums may want to explore future membership of EAZA or another professional zoo, aquarium or animal welfare organisation.
ZooCO can support this by carrying out an independent pre-assessment or baseline review before an organisation starts a formal membership or accreditation process.
This can help clarify where the facility currently stands in relation to animal welfare, enclosure quality, animal records, policy documents, education, conservation, staff and volunteer structure, visitor experience and practical management.
ZooCO does not represent EAZA or any other membership organisation and cannot guarantee acceptance or accreditation. The role is to help the organisation prepare more carefully, identify gaps and decide whether a formal application is realistic or whether improvement steps are needed first.
EAZA preparation and ongoing support
Some zoos and aquariums may want to work towards EAZA membership or another professional accreditation, quality or membership process.
ZooCO can support this before and during such a trajectory.
Before a formal application, ZooCO can carry out a baseline review or gap analysis. This helps the organisation understand where it currently stands in relation to animal welfare, enclosures, animal records, staff and volunteer structure, education, conservation, documentation, visitor experience and daily management.
During the process, ZooCO can stay involved as an independent support partner for the organisation. This may include helping to structure documentation, translate findings into practical improvement steps, prepare internal action lists, review policies and protocols, support education and conservation descriptions, and help the organisation follow up on identified gaps.
ZooCO does not represent EAZA or any other accreditation body and cannot guarantee membership or accreditation. The value lies in careful preparation, practical follow-up and helping the organisation make the process manageable and well-documented.
Zoo licence and recognition support in Europe
ZooCO has experience with Dutch zoo licence questions and can support animal-related licence preparation in the Netherlands. Where appropriate, ZooCO can also support organisations in Belgium or other European countries, especially with the animal-related part of the dossier.
This may include animal lists, enclosure information, collection plans, welfare and husbandry policies, education and conservation information, staff or volunteer descriptions, practical protocols and documentation.
However, zoo licensing and recognition procedures are not identical in every country or region. In Belgium, for example, Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels have their own procedures, competent authorities and dossier requirements.
For international or regional licence processes, ZooCO can help structure the animal-related information and identify what still needs to be clarified. Local legal, administrative, veterinary, environmental or authority-specific expertise may still be needed.
Who ZooCO works with
ZooCO may be relevant for:
- Zoos and animal parks
- Sanctuaries and rescue centres
- Children’s farms and public animal facilities
- Aquariums and facilities with aquatic animals
- Municipalities with animal locations
- Animal welfare NGOs
- Education and visitor centres
- organisations preparing or improving animal policies
- facilities that need an independent second opinion
- boards, funders or managers who need a clear outside view
ZooCO can work remotely, on site, or through a combination of document review, online meetings and facility visits.
Professional boundaries
- ZooCO provides animal-related consultancy, practical review and policy support.
- ZooCO does not act as a local lawyer, official inspector, architect, engineer, veterinary specialist or local permitting authority.
- Where specialist input is needed, this will be clearly stated. This makes the advice more reliable and helps organisations understand which questions can be answered by ZooCO and which questions require other expertise.
Why organisations contact ZooCO
Organisations often contact ZooCO when they need:
- An independent second opinion
- A practical animal welfare review
- Stronger policy or documentation
- Support with licence-related questions
- Clearer animal management plans
- Enclosure or routing advice
- Help with education and volunteer training
- A report that can be used by management, boards, funders or authorities
- A realistic plan for phased improvement
- A better connection between animal care, public communication and long-term strategy
ZooCO is especially useful when the question is not only about one animal or one enclosure, but about the whole system around the animals.
Why choose ZooCO?
ZooCO combines practical animal facility experience with policy awareness, education, documentation and a broad view of how animal locations function.
The strength of ZooCO is the connection between:
- animal welfare
- daily care
- enclosure use
- policy and documentation
- staff and volunteers
- visitor experience
- education and public communication
- licensing questions
- long-term feasibility
- practical implementation
ZooCO looks beyond the obvious. A facility may look fine at first glance, but the real question is whether the animals, people, documents and daily routines all support the same goal.
International support from the Netherlands
glance, but the real question is whether the animals, people, documents and daily routines all support the same goal.
International support from the Netherlands
ZooCO is based in the Netherlands, but can support international organisations in English.
Depending on the assignment, ZooCO can work through:
- online consultation
- document review
- photo and video review
- English-language reports
- on-site visits
- policy and protocol development
- second opinions
- follow-up support after a review
For international projects, the scope is always agreed carefully in advance. Local legal, veterinary, technical or authority-specific expertise may still be needed.
Explore the English section
Animal welfare & facility review
A broad, practical review of animal welfare, enclosures, daily routines, documentation, visitor impact and improvement priorities.
Licensing, policy & documentation support
Support with animal-related policies, protocols, management plans, licence preparation, records and practical documentation.
Enclosure, routing & collection development
Advice on enclosure use,
visitor routing, species suitability,
animal collection choices
and phased facility improvements.
Sanctuaries & rescue centre support
Practical support for sanctuaries, rescue centres and animal welfare organisations caring for animals with complex histories and long-term needs.
Interested in working together?
Do you work with animals and need an independent, practical and policy-aware view?
ZooCO can help clarify the situation, identify priorities and structure the next steps.
You can contact ZooCO in English, Dutch or German.
