Species360
Mission and History

Mission Statement

As an international non-profit organization, we create globally unique insights so wildlife can thrive.

Species360’s History

For more than 50 years, Species360 has been dedicated to harnessing the power of data to care for and protect species worldwide. What initially started as a vision by Prof. Ulysses Seal to solve a small problem of specimen identification for collecting blood samples, has grown into a large, international community, comprising over 1,400 members and subscribers, hundreds of research collaborators and partners and so much more.

Below you can enjoy a short history of Species360, and we hope you will join us as we embark on the next 50 years of data saving species.

1974

On a proposal from Prof. Ulysses Seal, 55 Zoos in Europe and the United States launch what is to become the International Species Inventory System (ISIS). The American Association of Zoo Veterinarians (AAZV), Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA-US), and other foundations and governmental departments provide funding and the International Species Inventory System is born.

1974

1975

55 members begin keeping paper records using standardized carbon-copy forms. One copy is sent to be key-punched at the Minnesota Zoo and loaded onto a State of Minnesota mainframe computer; reports are returned on paper printouts.

1975

1984

Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS), Brookfield Zoo and the US National Zoo join the Institute of Museum and Library Science (IMLS) as sponsors for ISIS development of a PC-based institutional records-keeping system.

1984

1985-89

ISIS releases its first PC-based versions of Animal Records Keeping System (ARKS), Medical Animal Records Keeping System (MedARKS) and Single Population Animal Records Keeping Software (SPARKS).

1985-89

1989

ISIS is incorporated as an independent, member-governed, non-profit, non-governmental entity under an international Board of Trustees, and is renamed International Species Information System.

1989

2011 – 2015

ISIS rolls out the first web-based Zoological Information Management System (ZIMS), then releases a new and improved user interface and database for ZIMS and launches the web-based ZIMS for Medical. Also released is a Spanish-language version of ZIMS.

2011 – 2015

2016

ISIS is rebranded as Species360. Species360 welcomes its 1,000th member, including zoos, aquariums, conservation agencies, educational institutions and regional associations in 90 countries on six continents.

2016

2017

Species360 rolls out ZIMS for Studbooks, a web-based solution for helping collaborative breeding program managers and individual institutions to ensure the longevity, diversity, and welfare of key populations of species.

2017

2018

Species360 forms the Conservation Science Alliance to provide conservation agencies, zoos, and aquariums with new research applying modern data analytics to global species data in ZIMS and other sources such as the IUCN Red List.

2018

2019

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) publishes the first Species Knowledge Index developed by a team of researchers worldwide, including population dynamics and data analytics experts from the Species360 Conservation Science Alliance.

2019

2020

Species360 releases a French-language version of ZIMS. In the first two weeks after releasing the application, more than 40 Species360 member institutions worldwide begin using ZIMS in French.

2020

2021

Species360 releases ZIMS for Medical – Sample Storage to manage the immense amount of data associated with biological samples stored at zoos and aquariums worldwide. Sample Storage reflects input from veterinary specialists at zoos and aquariums around the world; chief among the collaborators is Biobank leaders at the European Association of Zoos and Aquaria (EAZA). ZIMS for Medical – Sample Storage becomes a key component of the EAZA Biobank, a resource designed to help secure, store, and manage at least one sample for every species residing in zoos and aquariums throughout Europe.

2021

2023

Species360, in partnership with the Chicago Zoological Society (CZS), offered to provide support for the Species Conservation Toolkit Initiative (SCTI). This step fortifies our commitment to species conservation and provides our members and worldwide conservation practitioners with the resources to make informed decisions to save species. Species360 began exciting development work on modernizing ZIMS.

2023

2025

In 2025, our global community hit a milestone of over 1,400 members and subscribers around the world. We launched exciting new mobile features in ZIMS, making it easier than ever to record data while on the go.

2025

2026

We hosted the 3rd succesful installment of our annual Species360 Conservation Science Alliance Research Symposium, showcasing the many wonderful ways scientists and conservationists are using ZIMS data to advance scientific research, animal welfare and conservation.

2026

Get Started
with ZIMS

Join over 1,400 institutions across more than 100 countries in leveraging ZIMS’ integrated animal husbandry and veterinary modules, backed by the world’s largest dataset for ex situ wildlife populations.

Species360 Mission and History

Mission Statement

Species360’s History

Get Started with ZIMS

Species360
Mission and History

Get Started
with ZIMS