The American Sanctuary Association (ASA) is a

501(c)(3) A 501(c)(3) organization is a United States corporation, trust, unincorporated association or other type of organization exempt from federal income tax under section 501(c)(3) of Title 26 of the United States Code. It is one of the 29 types of ...

nonprofit organization A nonprofit organization (NPO) or non-profit organisation, also known as a non-business entity, not-for-profit organization, or nonprofit institution, is a legal entity organized and operated for a collective, public or social benefit, in co ...

founded in 1998 to set standards for animal care and housing. The goal of ASA is to link together sanctuary directors and founders in order to share experiences and to enable unwanted and wild unreleasable animals to find safe haven. The ASA is headquartered in

Las Vegas Las Vegas (; Spanish for "The Meadows"), often known simply as Vegas, is the 25th-most populous city in the United States, the most populous city in the state of Nevada, and the county seat of Clark County. The city anchors the Las Veg ...

Nevada Nevada ( ; ) is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, Western region of the United States. It is bordered by Oregon to the northwest, Idaho to the northeast, California to the west, Arizona to the southeast, and Utah to the east. N ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country Continental United States, primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., ...

."American Sanctuary Association (ASA)." ''Encyclopedia of Associations: National Organizations of the U.S.'', edited by Tara E. Atterberry, 57th ed., Gale, 2018. ''Gale Directory Library'', https://link.gale.com/apps/doc/XBIUTU575770232/GDL?u=tplmain&sid=GDL&xid=e0c346c9. Accessed 8 Dec. 2019.

History

ASA was founded in 1998 in large part to fill the role for animal sanctuaries that the Association of Zoos and Aquariums fills for zoos, and in disagreement with the prevailing accreditation standards. Actress and animal activist Tippi Hedren, founder of the

Shambala Preserve Shambala Preserve is an animal sanctuary established in 1972 and located in Acton, California, a desert community southwest of Palmdale, off of California State Route 14 and north of Los Angeles. About Shambala is maintained by the Roar Found ...

, was elected as the first President, and still serves in that role. Vernon Weir was ASA's first Executive Director and served in that role for 22 years. ASA has not announced who will be taking over his duties following his death in December of 2021.

Accreditation

ASA serves as an

accrediting body Accreditation is the independent, third-party evaluation of a conformity assessment body (such as certification body, inspection body or laboratory) against recognised standards, conveying formal demonstration of its impartiality and competence to ...

for

animal sanctuaries An animal sanctuary is a facility where animals are brought to live and to be protected for the rest of their lives. Pattrice Jones, co-founder of VINE Sanctuary defines an animal sanctuary as "a safe-enough place or relationship within the cont ...

, ensuring that ASA accrediting facilities meet higher standards of animal care than required by U.S. law. As of 2019, the ASA has 50 accredited sanctuaries in the United States. To receive accreditation by the ASA, a sanctuary must first submit an application demonstrating that it meets the ASA's criteria. Once the application receives preliminary approval, ASA conducts a site visit before granting accreditation. Among other things, the ASA looks at the sanctuary's financials, nonprofit status,

APHIS ''Aphis'' is a genus of insects in the family Aphididae containing at least 600 species of aphids. It includes many notorious agricultural pests, such as the soybean aphid '' Aphis glycines''. Many species of ''Aphis'', such as '' A. coreopsidis ...

inspection reports, habitat designs, food prep areas, staff and board of directors, emergency procedures, and general condition of the sanctuary and its inhabitants.

Placement

ASA does not have a sanctuary facility of its own, but assists accredited sanctuaries with animal placement. Unlike wildlife rehabilitation centers, wildlife sanctuaries provide homes to wild animals that have been deemed non-releasable, usually due to injuries or habituation to humans. Some animal sanctuaries specialize in wildlife; others work with domestic animals and livestock. ASA can help to find the right sanctuary to house specific animals in need of homes.

References

External links

* {{Official website, https://www.americansanctuaries.org/ Animal sanctuaries Wildlife sanctuaries Wildlife sanctuaries of the United States Trade associations based in the United States

History

Accreditation

Placement

See also

References

External links