Taxon Advisory Group (TAG)

red panda-Fred Cate In order to assure sustainable populations of animals in zoos, the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA) has divided species of animals into 46 management groups, or taxa (the plural of taxon). The Indianapolis Zoo fully supports the Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) program, including contributing the time and expertise of Zoo staff representatives on 21 different TAGs (see list below).

The mission of an AZA Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) is to examine the conservation needs of these taxa, and to develop recommendations for population management and conservation based upon the needs of the species. TAGs are responsible for developing a plan that identifies which species to maintain in order to assure a sustainable zoo population. Photo by Fred Cate

Indianapolis Zoo TAG Representation

Species	Role Within TAG

Amphibian	Institutional Representative
Anseriforms	Institutional Representative
Ape	Institutional Representative
Antelope and Giraffe	Institutional Representative
Aquatic invertebrate (squid, snails, bivalves, jellies, corals, sea anemones, sponges, starfish, sea urchins, etc.	TAG Steering Committee Member
Bat	Institutional Representative
Bear	Institutional Representative
Canid and Hyaenid (wild dogs, hyenas, etc.	Institutional Representative
Caprid (ibex, wild goat, mouflon, bighorn sheep, etc.	TAG Steering Committee Member
Chelonian (turtles, tortoises)	Institutional Representative
Ciconiiformes (storks, herons, egrets, ibises, spoonbills)/Phoenicopteriformes (flamingos)	Institutional Representative
Columbiformes	TAG Steering Committee Member
Coraciformes	Institutional Representative
Elephant	TAG Steering Committee Member, Vice Chair
Elephant	TAG Nutrition Advisor
Felid (lions, tigers, etc.)	TAG Chair of Program
Galliformes	TAG Steering Committee Member
Gruiformes (cranes)	Institutional Representative
Lizard	Institutional Representative
Marine Fish	Institutional Representative
Marine Mammal	TAG Steering Committee Member
Marine Mammal	TAG Nutrition Advisor
Old World Monkey (baboons, langurs, colobus, macaques, etc.)	TAG Steering Committee Member
PACCT (Passerines)	Institutional Representative
Parrott	Institutional Representative
Penguin	TAG Steering Committee Member
Prosimian (all lemurs, pottos, bushbabies, loris, etc.)	TAG Chair of Program
Prosimian	TAG Nutrition Advisor
Raptor (eagles, hawks, owls, vultures)	Institutional Representative
Ratite (emus)/Tinamiformes (tinamous)	Institutional Representative
Rhinoceros	TAG Steering Committee Member
Small Carnivore (otters, red pandas, weasels, etc.)	Institutional Representative
Snake	Institutional Representative
Turaco and Cuckoo	Institutional Representative

Learn more:

Species Survival Plans (SSPs)
Studbooks
Published Research
Conservation at the Indianapolis Zoo