 The organization is a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums.The organization was founded in 1975 at a conference of the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (then named the American Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums).The organization's original name was Canadian Association of Zoological Parks and Aquariums - L'Association Canadienne des Jardins Zoologiques et des Aquariums.