Zoo Knoxville Informations

Zoo Knoxville, formerly Knoxville Zoo is a 53-acre (21 ha) zoo located just east of downtown Knoxville, Tennessee, United States, near exit 392 off Interstate 40. The zoo is home to about 800 animals and welcomes over 400,000 visitors each year.

Zoo Knoxville is notable for having bred the first two African Elephants born in the Western Hemisphere. Both born at Zoo Knoxville (then called the Knoxville Zoo) in 1978. The zoo also has bred more endangered red pandas than any other zoo in the world and is a leader in the breeding of endangered tortoises.

The zoo is accredited by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA).

The zoo features many naturalistic outdoor habitats for its animal residents, including:

Indoor exhibits at the zoo include the Night Club, the Barn Loft, and a large reptile collection.

Attractions for children include the Clayton Family Kids Cove, which opened in 2005, and the Wee Play Zoo, a new indoor play area.

The Knoxville Zoo has been successful at breeding several endangered species, especially red pandas and white rhinos. The zoo also bred the first African elephant in captivity in the Western Hemisphere, nicknamed "Lil' Diamond" in 1978.

In 2009, Sarah Glass, curator of red pandas and Special Exhibits at the Knoxville Zoo in Knoxville, Tennessee, was appointed as coordinator for the North American Red Panda Species Survival Plan. The Knoxville Zoo has the largest number of captive red panda births in the Western Hemisphere (101 as of August 2011). Only the Rotterdam Zoo in the Netherlands has had more captive births worldwide.

By the end of 2010, Mozilla Foundation—the creator of Firefox web browser—partnered with Knoxville Zoo in an effort to raise the awareness about endangered red pandas. Two red panda cubs born at the Knoxville Zoo have officially become a part of the Mozilla community. The cubs were named Spark and Ember by online voters, and Mozilla broadcast a 24-hour live video stream of the cubs.

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