In the interest of development of zoological gardens the association with name THE UNION OF THE CZECH AND SLOVAK ZOOLOGICAL GARDENS is established (further only the Union), with statutes as follows:

The Union achieves its aims especially by carrying out activities stated below:

a) It jointly makes individual procedures to save conventional and specific interests of zoological gardens.

b) It prepares documents and standpoints for legislative measures and other measures of state authorities that affect the province of the responsible zoological gardens.

c) It also prepares documents and standpoints of zoological gardens for drafting wider strategies and programs for an environmental protection, nature and fauna preservation by state and local authorities, and by scientific institutions.

d) It initiates and supports the establishment and observance to the co-ordinated breeding programs of Czech and Slovak zoological gardens and involvement of these gardens in similar international programs.

e) It helps to complete and to implement effective programs and methods by way of which the zoological gardens can take part in education of the young and adults, such as the edition activity.

f) It cares for a professional growth of zoological gardens' employees and a reciprocal awareness, it creates a common information fund of zoological gardens.

g) It supports the usage of pragmatic and human potential of zoological gardens for scientific knowledge and research. It co-ordinates factual involvement in concrete programs as well as the application of the gained results in the practice.

h) It initiates optimal solutions for operational technical problems of the development of zoological gardens, including a common arrangement of matters of an operational and technical character in cases about which members of the Union make a common statement.

i) It represents zoological gardens at the international expert forum in case it is necessary to express a common statement. It gives information to all member zoological gardens about the international ZOO co-operation and associations working in the field of nature preservation.

2. Individual members of the Union can become directors of the member zoological gardens who worked successfully for at least three years in a ZOO and completed their university education of any biological specialisation.

3. Institutional member can be each zoological garden in the Czech Republic as well as from abroad. This Union is represented either by the director who acts on its behalf, or a deputy authorised by the director.

4. Honorary members can become individual members who finished their activity in zoological gardens, and are retired, further persons who rendered outstanding service to the development of zoological gardens in an extraordinary way.

5. A written application form and documents with the fulfilment of membership conditions are needed to the entrance of institutional and individual members. The document for the entrance of a member of honour is a proposal of at least three individual members addressed to the Council of the Union. 6. The plenary session on recommendation of the Council of the Union admits new members.

a) When a member declares in a written form that he resigns his/her membership in the Union.

b) When a member does not pay the membership fee by the end of the calendar year.

c) When expelling a member.

2. The Union is obligated to liquidate reciprocal commitments and claims in the terms given by generally valid regulations provided any other agreement is not made.

3. Individual membership is terminated in the following cases:

a) When a member declares in a written form that he resigns his/her membership in the Union.

b) When expelling a member.

c) Through a member's death.

d) When a member leaves the director's position.

4. Statements in letters a), b) and c) of a previous paragraph are also valid for the termination of a honorary membership.

5. A member can be excluded from the Union if he broke either the statutes of the Union in a serious way, or he/she acted against the interests of the Union. The plenary session on the recommendation of the Council of the Union decides on an expulsion. The Council of the Union can suspend the membership of a member whose expulsion wants to suggest. This measure assumes effectiveness on the day of its announcement and loses validity on the day of the discussion at the earliest plenary session.

6. The determination about an expulsion is valid for every kind of membership.

1. They can attend meetings of the plenary session of the Union provided no other regulations are stated. Institutional members only have the right to make decisions.

2. Individual members only can by elected to the Council of Union. Members of committees, working groups, delegations etc. can be members of the Union.

3. Members take a turn to authorities of the Union with proposals that are concerned with activities in the zoological gardens and the Union. These authorities are required to judge these proposals.

4. Members have the right to be informed about activities of the Union and they can attend events organised by the Union.

5. They can resign their membership in the Union anytime.

1. To keep setting of statutes and participate in aim realisation of the Union.

2. To respect a moral code in the Union.

3. Institutional members have to pay the annual fee until 30th July every year.

4. To attend plenary sessions.

a) The plenary session;

b) The Council of the Union;

c) The president of the Union.

2. The activities of the Union are ensured by:

a) temporary working groups, groups and delegations;

b) the secretary of the Union;

3. The auditors are a control authority for the Union's economic activity.

1. The plenary session is the highest authority of the Union. Its negotiations are divided into a professional part and administrative part. Institutional as well as individual members attend both parts. Honorary members attend only the professional part if they are not invited to the administrative part.

2. During the professional part of negotiations technical aspects are assessed. The conclusions have a character of recommendation. They could be binding only on the basis of a resolution of the administrative part of the plenary session.

3. The duties of the administrative part of the plenary session are:

a) To reach an agreement on statutes and their modifications;

b) To approve of a report of the Council, president and secretary about activities and management in the past period and specify the aims of the Union for a period to the next plenary session.

c) To determine an amount of the membership fee, and adjudicate on basic economy measures, especially about the budget of the Union.

d) To approve of a long-lasting policy statement, administrative set of rules of the Union and negotiating set of rules of the plenary session.

e) To specify a number of members in the Council of the Union, auditors and replacements in these authorities.

f) To vote a president of the Union, vice-president, members of the Council, auditors and their replacements.

g) To adjudicate on memberships in the Union.

h) To discuss members' motions handed in to the plenary session; the exclusion of members from the Union.

i) To settle on a voluntary disbanding of the Union, or affiliation with another association.

j) To adjudicate on the Union's membership in international associations and delegate representatives of the Union to such associations.

k) To adjudicate on the duties and positions in the working groups, groups and delegations if the plenary session stipulates so.

4. The regular plenary session is held every year. Plenary session is called by the Council of the Union 20 days in advance before the plenary session takes place.

5. If at least three institutional members ask in a written form, the Council has to call for an extra plenary session. The Council can call for an extra plenary session too. The president or vice-president can call for an extra plenary session in urgent cases. Extraordinary plenary sessions have to take place within four weeks from the submission of the last written request of a legal entity.
Members have to receive a notification about a special plenary session at least 10 days in advance.

6. The plenary session can take action if less than a half of institutional members are not present. If the number of members needed is not present at the fixed time, the administrative part of the plenary session can start one hour later at the some place and can take action no matter how many members are present.

7. The agreement of an absolute majority of present members is necessary for an acceptance of settlements. A settlement about a voluntary disbanding of the Union or an affiliation with another association is valid only if all institutional members of the Union agree on that.

8. The plenary session votes functionaries according to the article 10, paragraph 3, letter f) by ballot. Voting is determined by the voting code and it is valid for a three-year long functional period.

1. The Council administer is in charge of the Union in the period between plenary sessions. It consists from the president, vice-president and other members whose number is voted only by the plenary session.

2. If the president of the Union is not able to carry out his function, the vice-president or another member of the Council occupies the president's position, which is authorised by the Council.

3. The Council's duties:

a) To ensure fulfilment of the settlements from plenary sessions.

b) To accept and change negotiating set of rules of the Council

c) To nominate a secretary of the Union and set him a salary, if necessary set a salary to other workers.

d) To prepare reports about activity and economy of the Union and put it forward to the plenary session.

e) To process a plan of activity and budget for a period until the next plenary session.

f) To prepare a program for plenary sessions.

g) To put forward acceptance of members and their expulsion to plenary sessions.

h) To suspend a membership of those members in whose cases the expulsion is going to be suggested.

i) To discuss drafts which members put to this authority.

j) To establish temporary working parties and delegations and nominate their members.

k) To nominate assistants of the Union into the councils, consulting authorities and institutions.

l) If the plenary session stipulates a privilege to decide in the cases stated under the letters j), and k), the Council has the competence to bring forward a draft of the decision.

4. The assemblies of council are held according to the requirement, usually four sessions per a year. The president of the Union convenes a meeting. An extra meeting must be assembled within two weeks if at least two members of the Union ask for that.

5. In case that an assistant from a Slovak ZOO is not a member of the council, the chairman of the Association of the Slovak zoological gardens can attend the meeting with vote. If votes are equal at attendance of all members of the Council, the president's vote is decisive.

1.The president is at same time a chairman of the Council of the Union.

2. The president represents the Union and acts on behalf of the Union, also informs the Council or the plenary session about the effects of acts.

3. In time between the Council sessions the president carries out the function of the Council except for article 10, paragraph 3, letter b), f) and g) of these statutes. However, he informs about his steps members of the Council at the next session, the Council can change his decisions.

1. The temporary groups and delegations are constituted for fulfilment concrete instructions given by the Council or plenary session. The results of their activities are put forward to the authority which constitutes them.

2. Not members of the Union can be members of committees and delegations (experts).

2. The extent of the secretary's warrant when acting with the government, other authorities and organisations is stated in the organisation and procedure rules of the Union, in individual cases it is determined by Council and the president of the Union.

The auditors supervise the economic situation in the Union. They inform the Council about the common findings and inform members at each plenary session by wrap-up. Their special report can become a program of an extra plenary session.

Organisational and rules of procedure
Organisational rules and rules of procedure are set by relations in the Union and negotiation procedure methods of other authorities. The plenary session passes the organisational rules. The authority whose acting is conditioned by the rule passes the organisational rules.

2. Activities of the Union are financed from these sources:

a) member contributions of institutional members ;

b) own incomes of the Union ;

c) grants and contributions of the state authorities, local authorities, other organisations and institutions.

d) incomes such as voluntary contributions, donations, inheritance, loans, lottery profits, gained property.

3. The Union is administered by generally valid legal regulations.

The president represents the Union. The Council can authorise institutional members of the Union or the secretary, too to represent the Union only in such range of competence that is strictly determined.

According to the statement of the plenary session (article 10, part 7) about the demise of the Union its estate and financial assets and passive will be apportioned proportionally to financial contributions of institutional members for last five year.

Statutes of the Union were accepted at the plenary session in Jihlava, September 10, 1997 and adapted at the plenary session in Bojnice, June 12, 2003.