[1] In 1987, Ron Blakely, former Sedgwick County Zoo director and co-founder of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA), invited experts on animal care and zookeeping from public and private institutions to form an organization that would "deal more personally with 'animal-only' related issues and concerns, without the distractions of marketing, graphics, gift shops, etc."

In February 2005, the ISZ and sister organization United Zoological Association (UZA) merged to form ZAA.

[2] In order to apply for accreditation, a zoo or aquarium must engage in the care and exhibition of animals with a focus on conservation, as well as perform educational outreach and participate in breeding programs.

[5] ZAA has received criticism due to its supposed ease of accreditation and more relaxed requirements for animal care compared to AZA.

[6] In 2017, The Humane Society of the United States president Wayne Pacelle claimed that ZAA serves to weaken laws and regulations meant to protect exotic animals in captivity, and serves to obfuscate the more rigorous and strict accreditation requirements of AZA.