The USDA/APHIS inspection prep checklist for zoos and sanctuaries

APHIS conducts routine, unannounced Animal Welfare Act inspections. Keeping records current helps your team explain its work when an inspector visits. This checklist focuses on organizing those records.

These are practical recordkeeping recommendations, not a complete list of legal duties. Requirements vary with the animals and activities covered by your license. Confirm applicable requirements with APHIS and your professional advisers.

Source: APHIS inspection guidance. It describes inspection of premises, records, husbandry, veterinary care and handling. Use the current official requirements for your facility.

1. Keep your animal inventory continuous and current

Keep identifiers, acquisition and disposition details, species, status and enclosure history together. Review gaps so the record reflects what your team knows about the animal.

• Acquisition and disposition dates and sources for every animal.
• Current enclosure assignment and a location history.
• Births, deaths, and transfers recorded promptly, not in batches.

2. Have the veterinary care program and medical records ready

Be able to show a written program of veterinary care and the medical history that backs it up: exams, diagnostics, treatments, vaccinations, and weights, tied to the individual animal. When medical notes live in the same system as daily care, you can answer “show me this animal’s recent care” in seconds instead of pulling paper.

3. Make daily husbandry, diet, and enrichment observable

Consistent daily records (feeding, cleaning, observations, enrichment) demonstrate an active program of care. What matters is that the record reflects what actually happens on the floor, every day, by the people doing the work.

4. Keep facility, safety, and maintenance documentation close

• Enclosure and perimeter maintenance, with dated issue reports.
• Pest control, food storage, and sanitation records.
• Emergency and safety plans your staff can actually find.

5. Produce the census and annual inventory on demand

A current census and dated inventory can help your team reconcile animal records. Confirm the specific forms, periods and supporting documents required for your facility; these software reports are not universal regulatory forms.

6. Close the loop on past findings

If you’ve had previous findings, be ready to show what changed and when. A dated, reviewable trail of corrective actions is one of the strongest signals that your program is genuinely managed, not just documented.

Make “always-ready” the default

Every item above has the same root: records that are captured where the work happens and stay connected to the animal. That’s exactly what EchidnaCare is built for: daily care, medical, maintenance, and compliance in one system, with census and annual-inventory reports, a protected history of record changes, and a compliance assistant based on the Animal Welfare Act and AZA/ZAA standards.

See how the compliance reporting tools work, or apply for early access. Veterinary records and unlimited staff accounts are included on every plan.